I was really bubbling when I ran out against Stoke on Saturday - it was a great feeling to be back in the team again.

You almost forget what it is like to be in the starting line-up, so running out there in front of about 15,000 fans was a nice feeling for me after a frustrating year of being on the bench.

And when my chance finally came, I thought I had a good game.

At my age you are not playing to impress the gaffer, the crowd or your team-mates, it is about personal pride.

It is about going out there and coming off knowing you have put in a good performance - and I think I did that.

You get a lot of personal pride from putting in a good display, you feel it when you get stopped in the street by people who don't even like football and still know the ‘Feed the Goat and he will score' chant and that is what I was thinking about from the first whistle of that game.

It was nice to hear the fans singing the Goat chant again on Saturday. It didn't have the passion it might have done if I had scored or was getting loads of chances, but it was still good for me to hear the fans pleased I was back in the starting line-up.

I didn't score or play a direct role in our goal, but that doesn't mean I wasn't happy with the way I played.

I thought I had a strong game and held the ball up well. Playing as the away team, we frustrated Stoke a lot with our possession football, often stringing as many as 15 passes together.

It was a good win for us, those sort of games always are, and the lads were delighted after the game. Everyone said they enjoyed it and it was important for us to get another win.

It really was my sort of game, although I only really had once chance to score.

A defender took the ball off one of our lads about six or seven yards away from me. It came loose and it was about a yard in front of me, so I stretched out and got a toe on it.

The keeper made a really good reflex save and pushed it over the bar.

Although that was my only real chance, I still think I did enough to earn a spot in the starting line-up again today for the game against Leeds.

Nicky Forster is still out injured so I am hoping that the gaffer gives me another opportunity to prove I am the best choice as striker.

He didn't say anything to me after the game, but he didn't say anything to me when he put me in the team - that is just his way, you just have to get on and do your job.

Tonight's game against Leeds is really important for us.

They are desperate to get promotion straightaway because of the financial situation the club are in but if we can get a win against them, it will say a lot about us and our ambitions.

People will sit up and take notice a bit more and give us a bit more respect for what we are achieving.

Playing Leeds brings back memories of my time at (Manchester) City. I remember scoring against Nigel Martyn once at Maine Road. I think we ended up losing that game 3-2, or 4-2 but I scored with a looping header early on.

It is always a great feeling scoring against a top-class ‘keeper. He was the England number one at the time, so scoring against the first-choice keeper of one of the bigger European nations was great for me.

He has left now and so has Paul Robinson but they are still a good side and it would be nice to open my league scoring with a goal against a side like them - although it will be a real test for us.

But it is only October so we are going to have stay grounded even if we beat a team of Premiership quality like Leeds.