David Moyes has backed his forwards to keep firing as the 2022/23 season approaches an exciting and potentially successful conclusion.
West Ham United go into Sunday’s game at AFC Bournemouth knowing victory will take them above the Cherries and Wolverhampton Wanders into 13th place, and more importantly six points above the bottom three with a game in-hand on all the team below them.
The Irons arrived in Dorset on a run of one defeat in nine matches in all competitions and on the back of a thrilling 4-1 UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final second-leg win over KAA Gent at London Stadium – and the manager is hoping his team is hitting form at just the right time to end the campaign strongly.
“I feel like we’re hitting better form, and I think sometimes clubs go through periods where maybe not doing so well and also they'll have good periods as well, so hopefully this is our good period,” he observed. “And if it is, it'll be a great time to do it, because we need to get ourselves a bit further up the league table and we’ve also got something really exciting again with another semi-final in a cup competition.
“I have to say, I'm really pleased for the Club, because the Club and the Board have been really strong, they’ve stuck by me at times when things could have changed quite easily. I trusted them. and I think they know what they've got as well.”
Michail Antonio has seemingly rediscovered his best form in recent weeks, scoring five goals in his last nine appearances in all competitions, including an impressive brace in Thursday’s victory over the Belgian Cup holders.
With Jarrod Bowen performing superbly since the turn of the year and January signing Danny Ings also on target in the first leg away to Gent and netting a vital brace of his own in the home Premier League win over Nottingham Forest in late February, Moyes is hopeful the trio will score and create the goals needed to keep West Ham in the top-flight and on course to win the Conference League.
“I'm pleased that Mick is beginning to find that goalscoring touch again, because it's vital,” he said. “Danny scored a goal in Gent and Jarrod got one against Arsenal on Sunday and Thursday night Mick getting back in amongst the goals was huge for us, so we're really pleased for Mick and I think the biggest thing is that his form is picking up as well, to go along with the goals.
“I don’t think I was necessarily worried but it has taken a while, let's be fair, and we've been giving him every chance to do so. But he got an injury and Gianluca got an injury and we weren't scoring in the first half of the season, so we brought Danny Ings in as well, who, over the years, has been pretty consistent in the Premier League with his goalscoring.”
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