What flop Danny Ings did in the 81st minute at Bristol City sparked a furious reaction from West Ham United fans.
It was another cup night to forget for West Ham as they gave the BBC what they came for with a 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup third round replay at Bristol City.
The writing was probably on the wall from the moment Bristol City equalised in the first tie at the London Stadium.
And it did not take long for the Hammers to set the tone for a miserable evening.
An over-hit pass which would have put Danny Ings in on goal was turned over and up the other end Konstantinos Mavropanos’ under-hit pass-back to Lukasz Fabianski was pounced on by Tommy Conway to score the only goal of the game with just two minutes on the clock.
Ambling Ings sparked furious reaction from fans
Ahead of the game Hammers News stated that £15m flop Ings would be making his last ever start for West Ham before leaving the club this month.
That will surely be the case after what transpired at Ashton Gate.
Because what Ings did in the 81st minute sparked a furious reaction from West Ham fans.
And it was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the Hammers faithful when it comes to the misfit forward.
Typically half-hearted
After putting in another abject performance – albeit without much service in a system that doesn’t suit him – Ings was finally put out of his misery when he was substituted with less than 10 minutes to go.
In truth the substitution came far too late from David Moyes.
With West Ham trailing 1-0 to the mid-table Championship side and looking to avoid an embarrassing upset, one would expect to see players run off the pitch with the clock ticking down.
Not Ings. He started ambling off the pitch at snail’s pace as if the Hammers were winning the game.
The camel’s back is broken
The striker was clearly in a sulk. And his actions prompted an angry reaction from the 3,000 West Ham fans who made the trip on a cold Tuesday night.
Supporters screamed at Ings to hurry himself up, reminding him the team was losing with some choice language.
The forward then made a typically half-hearted effort to speed up his exit as he was jeered off by fans who celebrated his substitution.
A night to forget for West Ham, a moment to regret for Ings and a flashpoint which sums up his dismal year at the club.
With Wolves, Burnley, Southampton and Crystal Palace all said to be interested, West Ham should not hesitate to ship Ings out of the club as soon as possible after this.
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