(Reuters) - Bournemouth forward Joshua King, who played the latter part of last season with a back injury, said he was finally fully fit and happy to back among the goals in the new campaign.
King, injured after his hat-trick in the 3-2 win over West Ham United in March, scored five more times for a total tally of 16 as Bournemouth finished ninth in the league last season.
With his pre-season disrupted, King said he had struggled to keep pace with his team mates early on this term but popped up with an extra-time winner against Brighton and Hove Albion in the League Cup on Wednesday.
"I was injured for most of the end of last season, since the West Ham game," King told the Bournemouth Echo.
"I came back for pre-season and didn't train for two weeks. I was behind the others and was still struggling. I needed a bit more time.
"It sorted it and my back is fine. All is good now," he added.
"After the way I finished last season, you set your targets and want to score early to get yourself going and beat your previous tally."
The Norwegian international, who recently signed a new four-year contract, said he was raring to go after taking Bournemouth into the fourth round.
"It was great to score after going five games without a goal... It was great to get off the mark but you want to score in every game," he said.
Bournemouth host Middlesbrough in the next round and manager Eddie Howe said his team were on the right path after beating Brighton for the second time in a week following a 2-1 Premier League win last Friday.
"I think they showed the quality of our squad is stronger, although I know we have to prove that in the Premier League. But I think we are on the right path now," he said.