Benni McCarthy is hoping with the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers to finally make his Boleyn Ground bow on Tuesday nearly two months after arriving in east London.
The South Africa striker made only his second appearance on Saturday away to Arsenal, having limped out of action on his Hammers debut at Burnley five days after he signed. McCarthy has eight games left to make his mark this season and is determined to do just that considering the need to pick up points quickly.
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"From now on every game is a final for us," McCarthy said. "We just got to go out there and win against Wolves. Our home games are crucial. We will face teams in and around us. We need to win.
"It is not about making excuses, we have to win those matches. The more we win, obviously the easier we will make it for ourselves. That is the way to safety."
McCarthy's late cameo at the Emirates still saw him have enough time go close with a header, with only the attentions of a resurgent Sol Campbell preventing him a clear sight of goal. "Sol is a very experienced player and he just nudged me and the header went a little wide.
"That I got myself in that goalscoring situation is the main thing, though. Even though I have been out injured, I haven't forgotten about the runs I need to make and where it is important for me to be to score goals. I am confident I can help us get the goals we need in the next few weeks.
"It was really good to be back. I felt like I had been out for ages and it is great the manager gave me a little run and the feel of what it is like to play a tough game. Hopefully I will get another opportunity on Tuesday or maybe even a start. That would be something special."