Just 26 players have made 350 appearances for West Ham United in the Club’s 129-year history – and Aaron Cresswell is now one of them.
The 34-year-old became just the second player this century to reach the landmark when he appeared as a substitute in Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League victory at Crystal Palace, following his good friend and long-time teammate Mark Noble.
Cresswell, who signed a new contract in the summer to extend his stay in east London into an eleventh season, replaced Emerson in the closing stages and helped the Hammers close out their first Premier League win of the new season, first competitive victory under new Head Coach Julen Lopetegui and first top-flight clean sheet in 20 matches dating back to New Year’s Day.
While the veteran left-back knows his match minutes will likely be limited this season, he is also fully aware of his value as an experienced member of the squad and an influential figure in the dressing room. As he did for Noble, Declan Rice and Kurt Zouma, Cresswell will provide strong support for new captain Jarrod Bowen, and he is happy to be taking on a role of elder statesman.
At the same time, the No3 is prepared to play when called upon and help the Hammers in their bid to qualify for Europe again, with his next opportunity set to arrive in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup second round tie against AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium. Ahead of that game, Cresswell spoke to whufc.com…
Aaron, congratulations on becoming just the 26th player to reach 350 West Ham United appearances!
“It's obviously a very proud moment to reach that milestone. I didn't realise until someone told me after the game at Selhurst Park and I’m delighted with it, but hopefully I’ve got a few more to go! I think I'm just shy of 300 Premier League appearances which will be another great milestone, I guess, hopefully. I don't think I'll ever catch Nobes, though, as he ended up with 400-plus Premier League appearances. Obviously it was nice to get on and help us get that first clean sheet in a long time.”
It must have been nice to get on and help us get the win and the clean sheet, as you say?
“Yes, when called upon, I want to make sure I'm ready, and if I can help the team in any way, I'll be there to do so. Whether that's getting six or seven minutes, or whether that's starting a game or helping the team behind the scenes, even if I don't get on the pitch, I will try and be positive, try and be ready, keep everyone on their toes and try and get the best out of them.”
The whole squad took a lot of pride in that performance and result, didn’t they?
“Yes, they did. At the start of the season, it's very important to get that good start. Looking forward, with Manchester City coming up next in the league, that is always a really tough one. So to go to Palace, which is never easy, by the way, and to keep a clean sheet, win two-nil and get the three points was a tremendous victory.”
You’ve been a leader in this dressing room for a long time, and you’re part of the leadership group under captain Jarrod Bowen now and you have a great relationship, haven’t you?
“Yes, I think we've got a good group of lads at the Club and obviously Jazz has taken the captain’s armband. Again, if I can help Jazz in any way, I'm a lot older than him and anything he needs, I’ll be there. He's been around the Premier League long enough as well. He understands the game and he's another great lad and if I can help him in any way, I'll be there for him.”
Our next game is against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup and presumably we’ll be looking to get another win and continue to build confidence?
“When you look at the squad size we've got now, it's not just a case of making the numbers up. You could arguably change the whole eleven and still have a really good, competitive, strong team in the Premier League. So a Club like us now, we want to be competing. We want to be back in Europe and certainly a way of getting back into Europe is winning the Carabao Cup. We haven’t always had a big squad down the years and it's always tough playing in all the competitions when you have a small squad, but there's no reason or excuses in terms of the squad depth we've got now, so we're looking forward to Wednesday night and hopefully we can progress through.”
