MARK NOBLE is confident that his impressive performance in his 100th game for West Ham against Blackburn on Saturday will trigger his release from a recent slump in form.

The 21-year-old midfielder has struggled to hit the heights he managed to reach during a fabulous purple patch in the first half of the season, after being asked to play in a number of different positions, following injuries to key members of the squad.

But after bringing up his ton in spectacular fashion with a sumptuous strike against Rovers, he is adamant that he can once again become the driving force of the Hammers midfield.

“I mean, wow! Someone told me earlier that I was the longest serving player here and I’m only 21, so to get on the scoresheet on your 100th game is a nice milestone,” said Noble.

“I had a little dip in form, I don’t know what the reason was, but it happens to everyone. But hopefully I am beginning to pick it up again and I will be able to go strong for the rest of the season.

“I wasn’t worried because I’ve got a lot of belief in my ability. Obviously I was playing out of position sometimes and to be fair I just stuck with it, kept working hard for the team and the hard work really paid off.”

The youngster has been shifted out wide and pushed back to anchor the midfield by manager Gianfranco Zola in recent weeks, and that has too often seen him fade into the background during matches.

However, he was very much at the forefront of everything good about West Ham’s attacking forays last week, assuming the role of quarterback as he threaded balls between Blackburn’s backline with ease.

Noble insists Zola’s unwavering confidence in his ability has buoyed him throughout his slump, while he admitted that he feels at home pulling the strings in the middle of the park.

“He (Zola) always says he is going to keep faith in me. I felt really comfortable playing centrally against Blackburn. In the first half I felt I was back to playing as I know I can play.

“With all the injuries we have had you have to play a few different roles, but when you have got the respect for a manager like Zola, you don’t mind where you play for him, he treats you the right way and I’m happy to do that.”

Zola may have stumbled across a temporary solution to the club’s injury problems, employing a new system that also managed to bring the best out of Noble.

The Italian deployed Scott Parker and Radoslav Kovac as the midfield anchors, giving Noble the license to roam further upfield and pick the passes for the front trio of Luis Boa Morte, Diego Tristan and David Di Michele. Certainly, Noble would prefer to occupy the same position in games to come, but he won’t be complaining if he is asked to fill in elsewhere.