De Ridder wants first team spot

Last updated : 08 September 2008 By Paul Farrington
De Ridder spent large parts of last season on the bench at St Andrews, especially following Steve Bruce's departure. However he is optimistic about the future at Wigan.

"I have settled in very well, I like the club and the people and I hope to take my chances when I get them. We have been playing well but, until the Cup win, we hadn't been getting the results we deserved," said De Ridder.

"We were the better team in the second half at West Ham and we deserved a point against Chelsea but with the quality we have got in the squad we will be picking up points regularly.

"There is sufficient quality within the team for us to win a number of games, you could see that in our first two matches. There are positives to take from the defeats but it's still very early in the season to talk about league tables and the position teams are in.

"The manager knows all about me and what I have to offer and I know when opportunities come my way I have to take them. I'm sure this will prove a good move for me, I just want to be out there on the field doing what I do best."