Oliver Burke eager to build on first goal in West Brom colours

The £15million winger has endured a frustrating start to his Baggies career thanks to a series of niggling hamstring injuries.

But coming through a bruising encounter for the under-21s in the Checkatrade Trophy this week – when he needed on-pitch treatment a total of four times – has given him the confidence that his body is ready.

It was his first full 90 minutes of the season, and was capped off by a dynamic solo goal 17 minutes from time.

“I’m very happy to get the minutes under my belt,” said Burke. “It’s the first full game for me in a long time, obviously I’ve been out with my injury, so I’m chuffed to bits.

“It has been a rollercoaster start to my West Brom career so far. Being injured is really frustrating, I just want to be out there helping the team.

“I’ve obviously got my minutes under my belt now, I feel fit, ready to go, so I’m looking forward to helping the team. I’m geared up. The hamstring’s great, I feel back to my normal self.”

The senior squad have all been given five days off to re-charge the batteries but Burke is refusing to take any holiday and has been heading into the training ground on his own to make sure his hamstring is 100 per cent.

He was a marked man at the Ricoh Arena on Tuesday night, when Coventry’s defenders decided the best way to stop him, was to kick him.

“I’m full of cuts and bruises and my heads a bit lumped out but that’s part of football, you’ve got to get used to it,” said Burke. “When I’m that sort of player people will take you out when you’re running past them.

“You’ve just got to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and try and get them sent off, but that didn’t really work this time did it? There were no cards whatsoever, they kind of got away with it!”

Despite the relaxed officiating, Burke was pleased to come through the rough treatment considering his recent injury problems.

“It gives me loads of confidence now and I can go back into the team fresh and ready to go,” he said. “I’ll get my recovery now over the international break, I won’t be going away. I’ll be going into the club and strengthening my hamstring so I’m ready for the next game.”

Tony Pulis has been playing wing-backs in recent games, negating the need for out and out wingers like Burke.

But the former RB Leipzig man led the line as a striker for large parts of Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat and he’s not adverse to playing in a more central role.

When he was asked if he had worked on being a striker in first team training, he said: “A little bit, not so much. I can play there if needed, switch it up during the game.

“It changes it up a bit. There was a lot of switching (on Tuesday) because I was roaming around trying to get on the ball. But I really enjoyed it and the lads should be proud also.

“We’re a very young side, some of them are first and second year scholars so coming up against a senior team is brilliant.

“I’m dead chuffed for the boys, even though we lost the game I thought they did very well.”

Burke is only 20-years-old, not much older than some of his team-mates in the U21s, but he carries the authority of a senior player, and breaking into the first team is his aim.

“My focus switches to the first team now,” he said. “I want to help them as much as I can. I want to give them a different outlet on the park. I’m really looking forward to getting back into it.

“I travelled to the Huddersfield game. It was just a precaution (that I was left out) for my hamstring.

“I’d not played a full game and to come on for the last 10 or 20 minutes is a little bit risky, especially when it’s cold."

There were only 43 fans in the away end on Tuesday night who saw Burke batter his way through two defenders before firing in an effort from a narrow angle, but now he’d like to replicate that in front of 24,000 at The Hawthorns.

“It was a good goal, a cheeky little megs on the keeper, so I’ll take it!” he smiled.