Derby County midfielder Max Bird knows there's plenty of hard work ahead of him as he aims for an extended and consistent run in Phillip Cocu’s starting XI.
The Rams' Academy graduate, who has impressed in recent weeks, has made nine appearances so far this season.
Those games have coincided with Derby’s best run of form of the campaign to date and he made his first league appearance of the campaign by coming off the bench against Wigan Athletic on Boxing Day.
Derby then embarked on a seven-game unbeaten run, in which he made five starts, and he starred in home wins against Charlton Athletic and Barnsley.
Bird also earned earned the Sky Sports Man of the Match award for his performance in the 2-1 win over Barnsley at Pride Park Stadium.
The 19-year-old knows he needs to continue putting in the hard yards to keep his place in the team and continue his development.
“It was a tricky start to the season for me,” he told RamsTV when previewing tonight’s Sky Bet Championship fixture against Stoke City.
“Pre-season and the start of the Championship campaign was difficult, but I pinch myself about the players I have around me, playing a bit more consistently and I need to keep that going.
“I need to keep going to cement my place in the team and anything could change in the click of finger, so I need to just keep working hard on and off the field and see what happens.”
It’s been a staggered journey for Bird, but by his own admission he has needed setbacks to make him stronger.
After making his debut for the Rams at the age of 16 against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, he had to wait another 11 months to be given a chance in the Derby first team.
His league debut came in December 2018 in a home victory against Swansea City, whilst his first start was in March 2019 against Aston Villa.
In that time he has kept his head down, worked hard behind-the-scenes and is now reaping the rewards for that patience.
After impressing for the Under-18s and winning the EFL Apprentice of the Year last season, to captaining the Under-23s, to now appearing on the first-team stage, Bird is thriving in front of an audience.
“You go from playing Under-18s in big games, especially against Arsenal at the end of the season, but there is no crowd there and no real atmosphere to the game,” he said.
“You have to create it for yourself and then, jumping into the first team, you have thousands of people watching you and it’s different but something as a kid you look forward to and dream of.
“You just have to be ready for that opportunity and thrive off the fans and everything else that goes with it.”