SIMON Cox admits this season has bolstered his self belief - and he warmed up for a dream return to the Barclays Premier League with a late goal of the season contender in Saturday's 2-0 win over Middlesbrough.

The Baggies striker missed out on making a top-flight appearance as a youngster at Reading before deciding to go back to basics with a move to League One Swindon.

His 32-goal tally last term prompted Albion to snap him up for £1.9million in the summer and he has proved himself at Coca-Cola Championship level with ten goals in 26 games, including 11 as a substitute.

"I was at a Premier League club but I wasn't playing, that's why I had to leave and went to Swindon," said Cox.

"I never got the chance to play at Reading, gradually, I've made my way back up.

"I made two sub appearances in the Championship for them so I'd kind of convinced myself I wasn't even good enough for that level.

"But I always believed in my own ability once I got a run of games in a team and that I would be able to score goals.

"I did that at Swindon, which is why I'm at West Brom - because I scored a shedload of goals last season.

"Thankfully, I'm at a team now that can hopefully stay in the Premier League, and push for whatever we can push for.

"It would mean the world to me.

"Once I had a run of 14 games in a row here, that was a big achievement for myself.

"We got a tanking off Forest and I suffered a little bit.

"I kept digging in, doing my stuff, played little parts here since then, and I'm happy with what I've got.

"I've scored ten league goals and that's not a bad ratio for someone who hasn't played in the Championship before.

"If I'm given the chance I'm sure I can score goals in the Premier League.

"I like to find little holes in the box and if it falls to me I'm pretty confident in that area.

"I'm going to go away when the season finishes, enjoy my holidays and then come back in raring to go.

"We're going to be buzzing coming back to the Premier League.

"We'll take it stage by stage, look at the fixtures, game by game, the derbies, the big games, Old Trafford and places like that.

"When the first game comes around it'll be surreal for me really.

"That's where I want to play my football and I'm doing it step by step."

As a Liverpool fan, Cox is relishing the prospect of playing at Anfield and he admits he will be keeping a close eye on the World Cup to see some of the players he will be up against next term.

"Being a Liverpool supporter, I'll enjoy playing at Anfield," he added.

"I never got close to pulling on a Premier League shirt with Reading.

"That's a nice little dream to play there but I'll just try and snag a shirt off someone.

"My heroes were people like Dalglish, they're still a special club and a special team.

"Even if I'm not playing I'll be the one saying 'can I have your shirt please'.

"I'll be trying to get as many as I can.

"Over the summer I'll be looking at players who are playing at the highest stage of football and seeing who I'll be testing myself against next season."

Cox, who celebrates his 23rd birthday in nine days' time, also explained how his elaborate goal celebration with man-of-the-match Youssouf Mulumbu came about.

"Scotty rolled the ball out to the gaffer in training last week and he seemed to fall over," he quipped.

"We all thought he'd been shot by a sniper in the trees!

"We just decided to act it out as a goal celebration.

"When the ball dropped to me I thought I'd just go round the defender and another guy threw himself to the floor, so I jinked round him and hit it as hard as I can.

"We came in today after having a few days off this week.

"It would have been easy for us to not bother really.

"It was a nothing game for us.

"But out of respect for them, as they had a feint chance of getting in the play-offs, we had to turn up - and we did turn up.

"We produced a good performance and won three points.

"We had a few days off after Doncaster when the boys went out and celebrated - and rightly so.

"But we came in on Wednesday and did our hard graft, we've been professional ever since then.

"I really enjoyed myself on Saturday, it was good.

"It's lovely to be able to play football when the boys are full of confidence like that, it's easy then."