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Tuesday, January 6, 1998 Published at 09:38 GMT Sport: Football Hartson out to prove a point ![]() Hartson: In form since moving across London
West Ham striker, John Hartson, plans to remind Arsenal why they were wrong to let him leave Highbury.
Arsenal visit West Ham on Tuesday for the Coca-Cola Cup quarter final with the Gunners strike force firing blanks.
Arsenal let Hartson go for £3.3m when he was struggling to make the first team ahead of Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp.
Now Arsenal's title challenge is faltering as Bergkamp and Wright hit a poor patch in front of goal.
Hartson, meanwhile, has netted 18 times in 26 games including the winner against Emley in the FA Cup third round.
"Coming here has been a good change of environment for him. He was a big player when he came here, whereas at Arsenal he wasn't - he had Wright, Bergkamp and Paul Merson ahead of him."
Bergkamp and Wright both scored in Arsenal's 4-0 victory over West Ham in a Premiership meeting at Highbury back in September.
Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger, does not fear being embarrassed by Hartson and has backed Bergkamp and Wright to find their form again.
Wenger said: "I knew he would do well when I sold him but it doesn't mean
I regret the decision.
"We could have kept him but West Ham offered him a chance and he wanted to go because most of the time he was just on the bench here behind Bergkamp and Wright."
The Arsenal mascot for the match will be seven-year-old Jack Driver - the Gunners-supporting grandson of former West Ham captain and England legend, Geoff Hurst.
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