West Ham welcome Wigan Athletic to Upton Park on Saturday knowing that a win will help claw back the gap towards the promotion places.
Despite a long winless run Hammers are not too far adrift of the leading pack, with top-of-the-table West Brom just seven points clear of Alan Pardew's ninth-placed squad.
Meanwhile Wigan have established themselves among the promotion contenders this season, as something of a surprise packet in the top three.
But as the games go by and the wait for a win continues, Pardew admits things are getting harder for him and his team.
"There is pressure on me after coming here and not winning, and that has built and built," he said.
"The players want that belief that our ideas will work.
"After Tuesday night they have been reassuring me that they are with me, but I need that reflected on the pitch."
The squad is likely to be unchanged from the one which travelled to Wimbledon.
More on West Ham United atthe official site
Published Friday November 28, 2003
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