Former West Ham forward Zavon Hines says God is with him as he looks to rebuild his career at Maidstone.

Hines, who played 30 times for the Hammers between 2007 and 2011, was a surprise arrival at the Gallagher last Friday.

The 28-year-old was a free agent after leaving Southend in the summer and turned down Football League offers to join United.

Hines would almost certainly have played more Premier League games but for knee injuries, with the former England under-21 international going through some difficult times.

He considered quitting bit his faith carried him through.

Hines, who scored a last-minute winner against Aston Villa in 2009, said: “Football’s in me.

"It came in my mind to retire but I never really wanted to give up, it was more the frustration of being injured at the time.

“If you ask anyone that’s been injured for a long time, a lot of things go on in your mind.

“But I’m a Christian, I’m a guy that believes in faith and everything happens for a reason.

“That injury helped me to be a better man and a stronger man, so good’s come out of it.

“Obviously not a lot of people have the same mindset I do but I have God on my side and I’m grateful that he’s guided me through the tough times.

“Everything happens for a reason - good and bad.

“With God, I know anything’s possible and my family and friends know what I can do.

“If it weren’t for the injuries I would probably still be playing higher, I believe, but injuries happen and you can’t control that, you’ve just got to react to it.”

Hines made his West Ham debut under Alan Curbishley and also played for Gianfranco Zola and Avram Grant but left when Sam Allardyce took charge following relegation.

He spent a season at Burnley and in 2013 was part of the League 2 Bradford side who stunned Watford, Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa to reach the League Cup final at Wembley.

Three seasons at Dagenham followed, then came a six-month contract at League 1 Southend.

He spent time with Swindon and Newport in pre-season but turned down deals as he felt they were too far away from his London home.

So now it’s Maidstone for the exciting Jamaica-born frontman, who made his debut as a second-half substitute against Wrexham.

Hines said: “I think it was a good opportunity for me to get some games.

“I had a couple of offers from league clubs but because of family reasons I didn’t want to move too far from home.

“That was the main reason for coming here, and the manager as well.

“I’m from south London, I’ve got a family, so I just wanted to be close to home and enjoy football and be with my loved ones as well.

“It’s a good set-up here. I like it. From what I’ve seen, the fans are passionate and want the club to do well."