YOUNG West Ham defender Elliott Ward is confident that he remains in manager Alan Pardew's plans after making his first start of the season on Tuesday.
Ward was one of the stars of the play-off winning side last year after breaking into the squad for the closing stages of the campaign.
But the arrival of Danny Gabbidon has seen him lose his place in the starting line-up for the start of their Premiership battle.
The man himself is philosophical about this, however, and believes that he is still making good progress.
"I've only played 14 games so far and of course I'm hoping to play so many more," he said. "But it's up to me to keep working hard and getting better and better.
"The manager has told me he's happy for me to step into the first team when needed and of course that gives me a lot of confidence."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article