West Ham striker Freddie Piquionne is certain that the Hammers will not go the same way as Portsmouth in the Premier League this season.

WEST HAM striker Freddie Piquionne has seen it all before.

Last season both he, Tal Ben Haim and Avram Grant suffered the ignominy of relegation with Portsmouth, but the failings of that team gives the Frenchman confidence that the Hammers will not go the same way.

“It is not the same as at Portsmouth because we can get out of this,” insisted the 32-year-old marksman. “It is not the same team, we have many more players who are good here, but we need to start turning that into points.”

Piquionne certainly played his part at Birmingham on Saturday. He grabbed his fourth goal of the season with a clinical finish which he hoped would have propelled the side to their first away victory in 15 months.

“It was a super pass from Luis Boa Morte through the channel and after I shot, it flew straight in,” said the modest Frenchman, who was so disappointed that it did not kick-start them to three points.

“It was such a shame. We scored two times and we were playing well, but then we let in two goals from mistakes,” said the bargain �1million signing from Lyon.

“We should have won, but I think when you look at it, it was a good point away, but now we need to win our home games.”

Piquionne grabbed his first three goals in claret and blue, playing up front, while on Saturday he was switched to the right as part of a 4-5-1 formation that does not always bring the best out of the tall Frenchman.

So which does he prefer?

“I just want to do my job for the team,” he insisted. “I will play on the right for the team or I will play up the front for the team.

“I have scored on the right and up front, I am happy to do whatever the manager wants me to.”

The formation certainly worked better than at any other time this season, but Piquionne was shell-shocked at the way they gave away that two-goal lead.

“We were in control and you should be in control after you go two in front,” he said. “I thought we pressed them well, but then a little mistake and we have conceded a goal.

“It was a shame for us because we did not deserve that.”

Having conceded one goal, Birmingham understandably poured forward looking for an equaliser, so did West Ham panic? Piquionne did not think so.

“I don’t think we panicked,” he said. “We still managed to keep the ball well after they pulled one back, but we need to do it better.”

After Piquionne’s first goal in claret and blue, he added two more in the next two games. West Ham fans, as well as the player himself will be hoping that history repeats itself.

“We need to have confidence and we are playing well at the moment,” said Piquionne. “We need to make less mistakes and if we can do that we will start to win games and pick up points.”