Jarrod Bowen was all smiles after matching a Club record which has stood for over 90 years in Friday’s 2-1 Premier League win at Luton Town.
The in-form forward scored for the third consecutive away game to kick-off a top-flight season, matching the achievement of West Ham United’s all-time leading scorer Vic Watson, who did so at the start of the 1930/31 campaign.
Bowen has now scored in four straight away games, if you include his UEFA Europa Conference League final winner, having not found the net in 19 Premier League matches on the road last term.
For the 26-year-old, matching Watson was reason to be happy, and now he is targeting a new record when West Ham travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday 23 September.
“I love scoring goals!” he told West Ham TV. “I’ve never shied away from that. I want to score goals and have started the season really strongly, which I wanted to do, and I want to keep scoring goals and keep winning games for this Club.
“Why not score at Anfield [and break the record]?! I was actually aware of it before the game as I saw it on Instagram, and I don’t really score away goals, but all my goals this year have come away so wherever I can score long may it continue!
“The [England] call-up [for September’s internationals] didn’t happen, which I’m not down about as if it happens it happens. All I can do is bring what I bring to this team week-in, week-out. I can switch up from football for a few days and I’ll be raring to go when we face Man City!”
Having curled in a long-range special at AFC Bournemouth and scored a beauty at Brighton & Hove Albion, Bowen completed his away-day treble with a header at Kenilworth Road, setting the Hammers on course for a win that took them back to the top of the Premier League table.
Kurt Zouma added a header of his own five minutes from full-time in Bedfordshire, where newly-promoted Luton gave the Irons a stern examination and created some late drama when Mads Andersen headed in late on, but Bowen was pleased with the resilience he and his teammates showed to make it ten points from four games played.
“I’m flying!” he beamed. “It was a really tough game. We knew it was going to be difficult. It was a first home game for them and I think I said after the Brighton game that this would be the hardest game we’ve got on paper in terms of the atmosphere they created that was constant all game and the way they played.
“Credit to everyone, especially the two centre-halves for the way they defended the box and headed everything clear. Especially those two, I thought they did really well.
“Luton are here on merit and they’ve got their own gameplan. They’ve had two away games and this was their first home game, as I said, so it was always going to be difficult. Any team, even if you put Man City here, I think they will be put under constant bombardment like they did tonight.
“They are really good at what they do, but thankfully we held strong. It was always a bit nervy with a one-goal lead, but big Kurt made it two, then it got a bit nervy at the end, but we managed to hold on and get a massive three points before the international break.”
Finally, Bowen had words of praise for Luton, too, following their incredible rise back from the National League to the top-flight – a journey the No20 himself made from Hereford to Hull City and now onto West Ham.
“I think, on the budget they’ve done it on, Luton have been the miracle story everyone wants to do and I’d love to see my local team Hereford do what Luton have done,” he observed. “Everyone associated with the club and the town deserves full credit. They’re here on merit and hopefully they’ll have a good year.”
