HAMMERS youngster Junior Stanislas insists he will be knocking on the door of regular first team football next season after scoring his second goal for the club in the 2-1 win over Middlesbrough on Sunday.

The 19-year-old winger capped a fine passing move by unleashing a fierce shot from the edge of the box, which Boro keeper Brad Jones could only help into the net.

Stanislas was given the chance to impress by Zola after a raft of injuries to key players created vacancies along the midfield. His blistering pace and eagerness to get forward has caused plenty of headaches for opposing defenders, and he is determined to improve so that his name is the first on the teamsheet, rather than a strong option to call on from the bench.

“It’s disappointing (the season has come to an end) for me because I’ve been involved and been doing all right,” he said. “But obviously some of my starts are down to injuries to certain other players. Hopefully they’ll come back to better the team and I’ve just got to keep pushing on myself and just keep pushing to keep my place in the team.

“I’ll just keep working hard over the summer and I’ll come back trying to find my feet more, get more confident and get better.

“My goal for next season is just to cement my spot in the team and grow as a player. I can definitely make more of an impact next year. I’ve played seven or eight games this year and hopefully if I do well and have a good pre-season I can push on next year.”