West Ham United joint-chairman David Gold says the Hammers were “in a dark place for months” but believes a run of four successive Premier League victories has brought fresh optimism to the club.

The Irons were deeply embroiled in the relegation battle and several poor performances had left supporters fearing a return to the Championship.

However, West Ham took maximum points from their February fixtures and have jumped up to tenth in the table.

The Hammers are now seven points above the drop zone and while Gold insists they are not yet safe, he believes he club are now in a “good place”.

“The good run we’re on raises the spirits of the fans, the players and the football club – it’s buzzing,” Gold told the club website.

“We were in a dark place for months, worrying about what we were doing wrong, and of course we kept turning back, claiming that it was bad luck, and once that turns we’ll be in a much better place. We are now and we can start thinking again about the future.

“Don’t misunderstand me, we’re not clear, our position is not guaranteed in the Premier League, but we’re in a good place and you would be very, very disappointed if we were to fail from here.”

West Ham ended last season in tenth place in the Premier League and Gold feels the club are capable of another top-half finish.

“There’s every chance we can do that,” he said. “Early in the season we had a lot of bad luck, particularly with injuries and I know people say that it all evens out, but early in the season I thought we had some poor decisions go against us.

“I remember going away to Hull, and they had the softest of penalties, then in the second half there was an absolute blatant penalty for us which wasn’t given. We could have won the game 1-0 when in actual fact we lost it 1-0.

“There were a number of games not dissimilar to that, and then the injuries started piling up.

“When I say it’s bad luck with injuries, we all have injuries, we know that, but it’s when they all fall to the same area. You wake up one morning and you don’t have any centre-backs available – that’s when you feel the luck’s running against you. But I think it’s turned now.”

West Ham have conceded just one goal in their last five matches and that defensive solidity has been vital to their rise up the table.

Kevin Nolan has also rediscovered his scoring touch with five goals in four games and Gold has been impressed with the Hammers’ captain.

He said: “You couldn’t ask for more from him. It has been a true captain’s performance on the field and what people don’t often get the opportunity to see, but I do, is what a great captain he is off the field, in the dressing room and on the training pitch. He is a special character.”