Welwyn Garden City's Sam Caiger is ready to get his burgeoning football career back on track by shining for West Ham United's academy sides.
The former Monk's Walk pupil, signed his first professional contract last summer but is now keen to put recent injury troubles behind him.
He first returned just before Christmas for the U23s in a 2-1 loss to Everton and it was the same score when they played Tottenham on Thursday.
That game though saw the defender play his first full 90 minutes and set-up the solitary Hammers goal, scored by Jayden Fevrier.
Speaking to the club's website Caiger said: "It’s been a tough four months, especially after the pre-season I had.
“I thought I was feeling sharp, I was feeling fit, and then my injury happened, but it was good to get back on the pitch against Everton and now I’ve got to kick on.
“I think now I just need to get my head screwed on, play game-after-game if I can, and make sure I’m feeling match-fit at the earliest opportunity possible.
“I just want to get a good run of games, because I feel like over the last year or so I’ve had little injuries here and there. Now’s the time to just get a good, consistent set of games and hopefully, all being well, I can keep my eye on the first team in the coming years.“
The young Hammers Premier League 2 season hasn't been one to write home about with just the one win.
Caiger though is hoping to use the performances in both games as a platform on which to build.
He said: “It’s exactly what the gaffer said: when you lose, you usually come off the pitch disappointed, but I think after the Everton game we didn’t need to.
“We dominated in that game and had all the possession, we just couldn’t score. We played well, we battled hard, and we should’ve got a result .
“I’d like to help my teammates score more by getting some assists, and maybe we can nick a result in the next one. We’ll be keen to take our chances, that’s for sure.”
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