Daily Star Sunday

Home rule MARK WANTS WINS

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FEAR

The London Stadium hosts its f i r s t e ve r P r e m i e r League fixture this afternoon with Bournemout­h the visitors.

And one-club man Noble will proudly lead the Hammers out eager to make their new surroundin­gs as hostile as former home Upton Park.

He said: “As a lifelong West Ham fan it has been an honour to be involved in this move since day one.

“It is going to take a while to get used to calling it home as I’ve played at the Boleyn Ground every other weekend for 12 years and I had been going there since I was a boy.

“It’s going to be strange but this is the future.

“The Boleyn Ground was always intimidati­ng and that is what we now have to make this stadium.

“It is not a theatre it is a football stadium and now we have to make sure it a proper fortress for West Ham United.”

Noble was spot-on with a penalty to help the Hammers to a 1-1 draw against Astra Giurgiu on Thursday and boss Slaven Bilic thinks the Europa League will help his players.

He said: “We know it affects your chances in the next Premier League game but we want to try it.

“It’s good for everyone, it’s good for the players to play games against teams from different countries – they become better players.”

Meanwhile, Bournemout­h’s Callum Wilson says there are not too many memories from TONY STENSON and HARRY PRATT last season that he really wants to relive.

After all, the majority of the Bournemout­h striker’s debut Premier League campaign was spent recovering from a serious knee injury that required surgery.

Yet the Cherries’ trip to West Ham, exactly 12 months ago, is definitely one afternoon Wilson (below) would love to see happen – over and over.

That was the moment both he and Eddie Howe’s outfit announced their arrival among the elite as he scored a hat-trick in a 4-3 away-day victory.

Ahead of today’s clash, f i t - again Wilson, 24, said: “That game was probably the best of my career so far. It was a day to remember. “The team’s first Premier League win, my first Premier League goals – loads of landmarks.

“But that’s history. Now it’s about creating new memories – and this year it’s a new stadium we’re going to with quite a few new players in our team.

“It’s a blank canvas today. Hopefully, I can manage to score a goal.”

With the injury nightmare behind him and a new four- year contract signed, the recently married Wilson added:

“This is a new chapter for me and I’m on zero goals again.”

 ??  ?? RIGHT MOVE: Januzaj can make impression WEST HAM Mark Noble visiting teams to a trip to their new home this season. skipper wants OUT IN FRONT: Captain Noble will lead by example
RIGHT MOVE: Januzaj can make impression WEST HAM Mark Noble visiting teams to a trip to their new home this season. skipper wants OUT IN FRONT: Captain Noble will lead by example

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