Glenn Whelan hopes his performance against Rotherham will see him return to first-team action.
Midfielder hoping for first-team action
Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan hopes his determined performance against Rotherham in the Carling Cup will see him return to first-team action.
Competition for a place in the starting line-up is high with boss Tony Pulis having a number of options in midfield.
Whelan admits it is tough breaking through with so many quality players available for selection but hopes his goalscoring performance will bring him one step closer to making the starting XI.
"I think I'm more than capable of forcing myself back into the team here," Whelan told the
club's official website.
"I will just work hard and we'll see how it goes from there.
Competition
"If you ask any player here they want to play every game," he added. "But obviously that's not possible this year.
"We've got a big squad and a lot of talented players so I'll just wait for my chance. If I work hard and keep doing well then I'm sure my time will come."
Whelan admits the thought of giving Pulis a selection headache is very appealing to him, saying: "Any chance you get to go out and play in front of the manager you want to do your best to break into the first team and give him a bit of a headache.
"Over the last few weeks the team has done terrific and you can't really complain but a lot of the other lads are keeping them on their toes.
"I think the first team have to be ready because they know if they slip up then there are lads there waiting to nick their place and hopefully keep it."
