Jarrod Bowen showed he is ready for the Premier League's resumption in Saturday’s mid-season friendly at Fulham.
The 25-year-old played as a central striker after Gianluca Scamacca left the action with 13 minutes played and calmly struck the equaliser just after the hour as the Hammers drew 1-1 at Craven Cottage.
Saturday’s trip to Fulham was the Hammers’ third of three mid-season friendlies before a Boxing Day trip to Arsenal, with Bowen netting his second goal over the mid-season break.
And with wins over Cambridge United and Udinese also under their belt, Bowen is targeting a positive result when David Moyes' outfit head to Arsenal on Boxing Day.
“We have the preparation in the bank,” said Bowen. “It is down to us now to go to Arsenal on Boxing Day and put in a really good performance.
"[Fulham] was a really good test, Udinese was a good test, as was Cambridge in the freezing cold. But we have come out of all the games really well. We have looked dangerous as well and today was a really important one in terms of what we are going to face.”
When Bowen found the net at Craven Cottage on 62 minutes, he did so in front of more than 2,500 Hammers, who soundtracked the action in west London.
The Claret & Blue Army roared their side on as Tomáš Souček and Craig Dawson went close in the closing moments, although a sequence of stops from Fulham goalkeeper Marek Rodák ensured a share of the spoils.
“Someone said to me before the game that we had 2,500, and I thought ;no way for a friendly',” he explained. “But that says everything about this Club and the heart of this Club.
“We know what position we are in. We can’t hide away from that. It is about us as players now stepping up and showing what we are about.”
