Byram - We want to reward the fans

Sam Byram

 

Sam Byram wants to reward the Claret and Blue Army with a season-ending victory at Burnley on Sunday afternoon.

West Ham United travel to Turf Moor knowing a victory could see them finish eleventh in the Premier League at the end of a long and, at times, challenging campaign.

One constant throughout has been the loyal and vociferous supporters who have travelled 2,859 miles to cheer their team on at the Hammers’ 19 away top-flight matches. Byram says their presence will be a huge incentive to claim victory in Lancashire.

“Being a professional and being competitive and training and wanting to win every day, I think that’s the main thing,” he said, when asked how the Hammers would find motivation for Sunday’s fixture.

“It’s still a game at the end of the day and everyone inside the dressing room wants to win and get the best out of each other.

“To add to that, we’ve got a lot of fans travelling a long way and we don’t want to disappoint them either. It’s definitely going to be one where we’re looking to finish high and with a win.”

West Ham will need to play well at Turf Moor, where Burnley have claimed 33 of their 40 points and know another home win would see them leapfrog Slaven Bilic’s side in the final Premier League table.

“We know they are very solid at home and are a good team, but we obviously want to try to keep a clean sheet and take our chances when we can,” Byram confirmed.

Whatever happens at Burnley, Byram believes West Ham have done well to navigate their way through a difficult campaign.

With the stadium move, injuries and the departure of star player Dimitri Payet to contend with, the Hammers have had a lot to deal with, but secured safety comfortably enough in the end.

Now, the No22 is targeting a victory at Turf Moor that will send the squad into the close-season with a spring in their step.

“Last year, despite how well we played and how high we finished, I think it was always going to be a challenge with the new stadium which is very different to Upton Park,” he observed.

“We’ve had a lot of frustrating results and a few games where we’ve conceded quite a few goals. The last five games, bar Liverpool, we’ve kept four clean sheets and played well, so I think it goes both ways.

“I definitely feel we are more settled and getting used to playing there [at London Stadium] and the fans are starting to warm to it, so hopefully we can finish on a high against Burnley and start fresh next season.

“There have been a lot of highs and lows as well. Next season, we need to enjoy more positive moments. We’ve done well to secure safety and in the manner we did against Tottenham in a night match in front of a full house was really good.”