Kyle Edwards admits he now thinks of himself as a fully-fledged member of Albion’s senior side having played a prominent role in the Club’s impressive start to the 2019/20 campaign.
The 21-year-old has featured in 10 games in all competitions so far – his most notable contribution coming at the City Ground on the opening day where he scored the Baggies’ first goal of the season.
Edwards is just one appearance away from equalling his tally for the entire 2018/19 campaign and says he now feels completely settled in the first-team environment.
“I’m really happy with how my own season has gone so far,” said Kyle.
“I’ve had games where I’ve started and there’s been other games where I’ve come on from the bench, but I’ve played in the majority of them which I’m happy about.
“I feel way more settled in the first-team environment now. Last season I came into it but I felt like I was still a young player, playing with the first team.
“This year I feel like a first-team player and I feel really settled in this squad.
“The first few games you play in the first team, it’s more like a dream. Now, I’ve played a lot more in the first team and you become a lot more settled and focused on the job at hand.
“Everyone around me growing up supported West Bromwich Albion so I really like it when I go out and people come up to me and ask how I am getting on.
“All my friends and family are so proud of me because I play for this Club. It’s my local team and I have been here for a long time now too. It really means a lot to me.
“I feel like I am getting better through the help of the coaches and the older players here. I want to keep improving.”
Edwards finds himself in a battle with a number of other exciting attacking players for a spot in Slaven’s side.
However, the local lad sees the fight for selection as a huge positive and insists the players are constantly trying to help each other for the benefit of the team.
“It’s amazing to play with the attacking players we have here at the Club. They are so easy to play with. We have a lot of competition which is always a good thing.
“The standard of training is always really high because everyone is trying to get into the team.
“I do feel as though it’s not really a competition though with our players. I feel like everyone is happy playing with each other, instead of trying to go against each other. We all want the best for this team.
“I think we are all picking up little things from each other. There are a lot of players, but everyone is different. You pick up things from other players and you can try and add that to your own game.”
The Baggies return to Sky Bet Championship action on Saturday afternoon with Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City in town.
Kyle says the squad are desperate for matchday to arrive and the opportunity to get back to winning ways following their first league defeat of the season at Leeds on Tuesday.
“We were all really disappointed to lose at Leeds but we all can’t wait for Saturday to come around to try and put it right.
“We’re all still feeling really confident and I hope that we can win the game and get back on track.”