Danny Ings is hopeful both he and West Ham United can enjoy a successful end to 2023/24, after his first goal of the season rescued a 2-2 draw at home to Burnley in the Premier League.
The Hammers were staring defeat in the face when the 31-year-old replaced Nayef Aguerd with just eight minutes to go at London Stadium, with David Datro Fofana’s opener and a Dinos Mavropanos own-goal putting Burnley 2-0 ahead before Lucas Paquetá halved the deficit seconds into the second half.
Ings thought he had equalised five minutes after his introduction, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside against Michail Antonio in the build up, but he did get his goal moments later on the turn, following good play by Mohammed Kudus.
An impressive cameo appearance nearly yielded a second strike when the England international hit the bar with a shot from the edge of the box deep into injury time, and he duly acknowledged that his stint on the grass had produced a whirlwind of emotions.
He said: “The first one really played with my emotions. I think we all thought it was onside, but it wasn’t meant to be. I’m just happy that I was then able to come back and get the goal in the end.
“It was a really good feeling to get on the scoresheet. I’ve always tried to score those kinds of goals - when you’re in the box, your first instinct as a striker is to get your shot off, and luckily this one hit the back of the net.
“I could maybe have got another one right at the end, and I maybe hit it too cleanly. I was devastated not to win it for the team at the end, but I did have an impact today, which I think is important in more ways than one.”
Prior to this Burnley clash, Ings had last etched his name on the scoresheet against Gent in the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final last April, and endured 22 games this term - albeit mostly off the bench - without netting.
And while a point against bottom club Burnley may not have been the Hammers’ ultimate aim before kick-off, he believes the nature of the fast finish should provide the team with a big boost ahead of Thursday night’s Europa League round of 16 second leg against SC Freiburg.
He added: “It has been hard at times, but you never give up and you never stop believing in yourself. I’ve always kept working hard, and I’m delighted to have been able to help the team today. Hopefully more goals and good results can follow now.
“It’s just one of those days today. Burnley are fighting for their lives, so it was never going to be easy, and we struggled to find a rhythm. We weren’t at our best, but the draw still has to be a positive considering we were 2-0 down, and hopefully we can ride the momentum from that going forward.”
