Noble: I’m not sure where that first goal came from!

Mark Noble admitted even he wasn’t sure how he got into the position to strike the Hammers in front in their 4-1 win at Watford on Sunday.

The skipper started and finished the move, playing a one-two with Michail Antonio before running at Christian Kabasele, dropping his shoulder and slotting past Ben Foster with his left foot.

The skipper would later complete the scoring, notching his 50th career league goal in the process, giving him and the team a hugely satisfying end to the campaign.

“It’s really pleasing to get to 50 league goals and to get two on a day is rare for me!” he smiled.

“Ending the season this way is pretty special. I’m not sure where the first goal came from to be honest, I don’t normally score goals like that but they all count and I’m really pleased. 

“Im pleased with how we performed too, for the first ten minutes of the second half we were poor, but we got a foothold the game and I feel sorry for their boy who got sent off because of [the FA Cup final] next week, but we played well in the end.”

The No16 also believes this campaign has been one of real progress, so he will be attacking the next one with relish following the summer break.

He added: “It’s pleasing to finish in the top ten after how we started the season, but we’ve slipped up in a few games and if we had played like we had done for the last month we might have been a bit higher.

“But after last season, this one has been pretty solid. We played some really good stuff at times and the fans can be excited for next season.

“I think we’ve shown that we’re evolving under the boss. It’s the first season under him, so we’re still learning from him and his staff. We’ll have players come in and players leave - we know that, every season its like that - but all in all the club is going in the right direction.”