Creeping up the leaderboard of West Ham’s Premier League goal scorers, Czech hero Tomas Soucek reached number thirty nine last night with the goal that should have won the Hammers a hard won three points until the officials somehow decided seven minutes of time needed to be added.
Former striker turned TV pundit Carlton Cole lies just ahead of Soucek with 41 Premiership goals and is the Czech captain’s next target. Antonio still sits top of the list at 68 but club captain Bowen is hot in his heels.
There’s every chance Tornado Tom will be overhauling Cole’s record this season.
Soucek has now established a new record after scoring against Manchester United, and has become the highest scoring Czech Republic player in the Premier League, overhauling former Liverpool star Patrik Berger. Having drawn level with Berger in November, Soucek now stands alone with his total of 39.
“I’m really proud to break the record, [Soucek told whufc.com]because I’m always proud of where I am from. I am from the Czech Republic, and I want the people there to be proud of me.
*“I did my maximum to get this record, after I was level for so long with Patrik Berger, who was an incredible player. Now it’s mine, and I’m so happy. It was a great goal, after Jarrod [Bowen] made a great run, and I was just in the right place at the right time.*“
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And when you factor in the amount of defensive work Soucek gets through in addition to his trademark late runs into the box, the Hammers veteran has proved himself vital to the Irons’ survival bid and has forced himself back into Nuno Espirito Santo’s starting eleven after having been dropped earlier this season.
Like the whole squad, Soucek is upbeat atbout the Hammers’ relegation prospects:
*“We have to look at the positives, rather than these small moments. We’ve shown how much we care and how well we can play, and we need to build this momentum because the spirit in the changing room right now is so different to a couple of months ago.*“