Jarrod Bowen believes that reaching the Conference League FInal with West Ham is the highlight of his career so far.
The 25-year-old winger, who recently became a father to twins has played an instrumental role in West Ham reaching Wednesday night's final, in which they face Serie A's Fiorentina in Prague.However the former Hull forward stressed that it is important not to get carried away by the occasion.
"I’ve played for England but having the opportunity to win a trophy together with your teammates, who you’ve been with together to get to the final, will be a massive moment," he told the club's website.
"Of course, we’re all excited about being in the final of a European competition and this will be the pinnacle for a lot of players. It will certainly be the biggest game of my career. We all want it, but it’s important to not get too hyped up. We need to find that balance of not going over the top, but also not caring enough.
"The main priority is to win the game. As players we want to be part of that moment but for the fans it would mean so much. I want to be part of the squad that gives the fans that moment and that’s what we’re all striving to do."
Bowen has been relaxing along with his team mates in Portugal as the team prepare for the game, which is expected to be a close affair against a team of similar quality.
And he believes the week-long break was much needed, following a stressful domestic campaign which included a relegation battle that lasted until the beginning of May.
"It’s good to get away from the training ground," he added. "We spend all season at the training ground, so I think a few days away in the sunshine is a really positive change heading into the game.
"The lads were laughing, we all felt good and relaxed. It was somewhere different, which was important as it allowed us to get our minds ready for the final in a new environment, not the same place that we have been doing so all year."
And as for West Ham's hopes of lifting their first European silverware since 1965 - and his chances of being on the scoresheet? "I believe we have every chance," insisted Bowen. "And I go into every game wanting to score for West Ham, but scoring in this game would be brilliant as long as we win.
"It’s an absolute privilege to play for this club. To be preparing for a final, I never thought that it would've happened when I joined West Ham so it fills me with pride that I’m part of the squad that could do that.
"We believe we’ve got a really good opportunity to win this game against a really tough side. We’ve done a lot of good things in this competition this season. It’s a one-off game and we’ll see what happens."
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