Jarrod Bowen is keen to repay David Moyes's faith after the West Ham manager described him as the best possible alternative to Michail Antonio.
Bowed scored the winner in the final seconds of extra-time as West Ham scraped past non-league Kidderminster with a 2-1 win in the FA Cup on Saturday.
West Ham will rely on Bowen for goals in the second half of the season after failing to sign a striker in January. Fans are unhappy the club did not bring in back-up for Antonio but Moyes has backed Bowen to cover for him.
“It's nice and everything that I have done is down to the manager,” Bowen told Standard Sport.
“He brought me in in the first place and has developed my game and he uses me as a striker which I have never fully done before but he trusts me and it's about me repaying him.
“It's all down to the gaffer for bringing me in and helping me develop.”
Asked about adapting to the role, Bowen said: “It is definitely more difficult. I'm not a target man but when you're the furthest player up the pitch in terms of holding the ball up and different movements, it is more difficult.
“But the manager saw something in me and he feels he can play me there, and all I can do is try and play as best as I can there.”
National League North side Kidderminster were seconds away from a famous win before Rice rescued West Ham with a brilliant 91st-minute equaliser to force extra-time.
Bowen then won it for West Ham extra-time to leave Kidderminster players crestfallen.
West Ham have knocked both Manchester clubs and Leeds United out of the domestic cups this season, but Bowen said Kidderminster proved the toughest of the lot.
“It was more difficult [than any other tie this season],” said Bowen.
“Coming to their ground and the atmosphere they create, their fans were excellent and I thought their team were as well. We stuck in there and kept grinding away and thankfully one fell at the end.”
