West Ham Cup Goalscorer Targeting Long Cup Run

Fresh after scoring a dramatic winner for West Ham in the FA Cup, Craig Dawson is targeting a cup run with the Hammers this season.

West Ham have struggled in cup competitions over the last few seasons. Infamous exits to Oxford United, AFC Wimbledon and West Brom have left some scars on the team. The win over non-league side Stockport showed that the club have strengthened their mentality.

The Hammers should be brushing away sides like Stockport without much worry. The conditions at Edgeley Park were simply horrific as the rain poured and destroyed the pitch. For top professionals playing in the Premier League, the pitch would have looked like something from their nightmares.

It would have been classic West Ham to have made a mistake and suffer another embarrassing cup exit. Under David Moyes, however, the team have built up a stronger mentality and instead stuck to their game and earned a deserved victory. Even if it were by a single goal and not a big margin, some fans would have expected.

The win is all that matters and like always when a team wins their first cup match targets start to change. Craig Dawson scored the Hammers’ winning goal in the closing stages and is now targeting a successful cup run.

"“It was a tough game and the pitch was difficult for both sides, but we stuck to our task and got a great win in the end,”“The conditions were tough and it’s been a while since I played on a pitch like that, but I thought we moved the ball well and it was nice to get the goal at the end.“It’s something we work on in training [the corner move which led to the goal] so it’s good that it’s come off. The lads put in a great shift tonight and it’s great to keep another clean sheet.“Stockport are a great side who are doing well in their league. It was a tough match for us, and as we saw with the other ties this weekend it’s not easy coming to grounds like this so it was a great performance from the lads.“We’ll take each game as it comes and hopefully keep the run going.”Dawson speaking to WHUFC"

The defender has continued to prove his doubters wrong. Dawson was signed on loan from Watford in the summer, much to the disdain of fans. The 30-year-old has kept clean sheets in every game he has played and been generally solid overall. Dawson has climbed up the pecking order and has replaced Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena in the matchday squad.

The Hammers must now face Doncaster in the FA Cup fourth round. Moyes’ men will be happy to know that the game will be played at the London Stadium with much better conditions. If West Ham get past the League One side, they will face a tough fifth-round fixture against either Liverpool or Manchester United.