Grant optimistic with Wigan in sights

West Ham United boss Avram Grant insists his team can still avoid relegation from the Premier League with a result at Wigan on Sunday.

The bottom-placed Hammers need at least a point to mathematically remain in the relegation fight, but not even a victory would move them out of the bottom three ahead of the last day of the season.

Grant said his team needed to stay focused as long as it remained possible to escape dropping to the Championship.

“In my experience in football, nothing is over until it is over,” he said.

“It’s happened to me in the past. I was not in this situation of relegation fighting but I was at the top where the situation was not only dependant on us.”

“Sometimes we didn’t think about it. We didn’t think about what we needed to do and we missed it. I don’t want to miss this chance and we will do what we need to do and that’s all.”

The Israeli boss admitted the mood was not great in the dressing room following the 1-1 draw with Blackburn on Saturday, just the second point they have collected from their last seven games.

But Grant said the players were concentrating on their trip to 19th-placed Wigan, a team they can leapfrog with a win.

“I’ve heard this so many times this year but I think, to be honest, we need to do what is dependent on us, which is to win against a very difficult team at their home,” Grant said.

“If we do not do it, we will not have any chance.”

“We need to do it and then we need to hope for other results.”

If West Ham get a result at DW Stadium, they will also need to produce at home to Sunderland on the last day of the season to have any hope of avoiding the drop.