Ashton is Back

Dean Ashton survived a heavy tackle in the opening minutes of yesterday's friendly and the West Ham striker believes it did him some good,

"That tackle probably did me a favour. I need that sort of thing to get my confidence back. The fact I got the tackle so early in the game did me good. It's part and parcel of the game and I need to get used to it."

Speaking after the game Ashton admitted that he had worried that hsi career might be over,

"There were times when I thought I might not get back, so I'm really going to enjoy this season. It was an absolute joy to be out there playing, it's been a long, tough year and I'm glad to be back.

"I don't think there will be a hungrier player in the Premier League this season than me. I want to show people how well I have come back from this injury.

"It was hard watching last season, you don't want to see your team struggling at the bottom of the league. I was delighted to see how the season ended. From a selfish point of view I wanted to play in the Premiership."