Debutant Dara O'Shea keen to taste more action at West Brom

The young Irishman came on as a second-half substitute during the 1-1 draw with Brentford on Saturday, replacing the injured Kyle Bartley.

And, after an assured performance by the young Dubliner, he said he is now aiming to press his claims for more game time in the first team.

He said: “I think it was the plan for me this season, to be around the squad and contest for a place.

“That’s what I have done so far and now I’m looking for more minutes. I am here to help the team and I am hungry for more. I want to play games and be in and around it.”

And the 20-year-old added: “It was great to finally make my league debut after being on the bench for so many games. It’s a really proud moment for me.

“I had a little inkling (that he would be going on).

“Kyle (Bartley) had gone down injured at the end of the first half so I knew I might be needed in the second half, but I didn’t think it would happen that soon. I just got ready and made sure I was prepared for it.

“It is tough to come on as a defender, but you have to take your chance whenever it comes along.

“I just tried to play my game and keep it simple – just do what I normally would, not go too mad, and make sure I played my game.”

He believes Albion now must keep their foot on the gas into the new year after assuring top spot over Christmas.

“It is huge for us to be top of the league at Christmas,” added O’Shea.

“But we have got to keep going, we can’t just rest on where we are.

“It is such a busy period so we have to keep on our toes and keep going out and looking for those three points.

“There is no way we can relax and the manager has said that to us already.

“We can’t take our foot off the pedal and need to keep going.

“It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon, and we have to keep plugging away and not get too happy with where we are.”