West Brom's Kyle Edwards settled and enjoying his football
Kyle Edwards says he feels settled in Albion’s first-team squad now that he has more experience under his belt.
The winger, who joined the Baggies when he was just six-years-old, made his debut for the club last season and went on to make 11 appearances in all competitions.
This year, Edwards started and scored in the opening day win over Nottingham Forest. And he has featured a further nine times since – with five of those appearances coming from the bench.
“I’m really happy with how my own season has gone so far,” Edwards said.
“I’ve had games where I’ve started and there’s been other games where I’ve come on from the bench, but I’ve played in the majority of them which I’m happy about.
“I feel way more settled in the first-team environment now.
“Last season I came into it but I felt like I was still a young player, playing with the first team.
“This year I feel like a first-team player.
“The first few games you play in the first team, it’s more like a dream.
“Now, I’ve played a lot more and you become more settled and focused on the job at hand.”
Edwards is battling with Grady Diangana and Matt Phillips for a starting spot for the visit of Cardiff tomorrow.
But while competition for places is fierce, the 21-year-old believes he can only improve by playing with such talented players.
“I feel like I am getting better through the help of the coaches and the players here,” he continued.
“I want to keep improving.
“It’s amazing to play with the attacking players we have. They are so easy to play with.
“You pick up things and you can try and add that to your own game.
“We have a lot of competition which is always a good thing.
“The standard of training is always high because everyone is trying to get into the team.
“I do feel it’s not really a competition though with our players.
“I feel everyone is happy playing with each other, instead of trying to go against each other. We all want the best for this team.”
Albion tasted defeat for the first time in the Championship this season when they lost at Leeds on Tuesday.
But Edwards insists confidence in the group remains high.
“We were all really disappointed to lose at Leeds but we all can’t wait for Saturday to come around to try and put it right,” he added.
“We’re all still feeling really confident that we can win the game and get back on track.”
