Source: Eurosport
Sears sets his sights on Europe
Young West Ham striker Freddie Sears is determined to help fire the Hammers into next season's UEFA Europa League.
Sears played a part in West Ham's draw with Aston Villa last Saturday and the 19-year-old is eager to make his mark in the final five games of the campaign.
Sears, who came on as a second-half substitute against Villa, declared: "Obviously we were pleased to get a draw, but we even had chances to go on and win it at the end. I think, overall, a draw was a fair result for us. We pushed hard to get the goal so we were delighted when it came. The vibe in the dressing room after the game was good. Everyone was buzzing."
Sears burst on to the scene a year ago after scoring a late header past American Brad Friedel in West Ham's 2-1 win over Blackburn at the Boleyn Ground. But while he has not scored as many goals as he would have liked, the teenager is well aware he can still play a part between now and the end of the season.
Gianfranco Zola's team are challenging for a top-seven finish and European football and Sears is ready to put his frustration behind him in order to help the Hammers achieve their goal.
"It's obviously been a bit frustrating not playing as much football as I was used to in the reserves and youth team, and the injuries we have means the youngsters haven't been able to go out on loan," said Sears.
"I'm training well and enjoying it here but I obviously want to start playing more and scoring some goals. It was good to get on again at Villa, even if it was only for 10 minutes. The manager told me to go on and make something happen and I think I did okay. We've got Chelsea next week and I'd love to play against them."
