Matt Taylor is planning his first-team comeback after returning from a frustrating period on the sidelines.

The popular West Ham United midfielder was back in action in Tuesday's 1-1 Development Squad draw with Gillingham - more than six weeks after suffering a calf injury in the 2-1 home npower Championship defeat by Burnley.

The 30-year-old said he would not rush back, but admitted he did feel happy to be back out on the pitch for the first time since 3 December.

"It was OK. I played the first 45 minutes which is nice," said Taylor. "It was decent to put a shirt on again to be honest and get back out on the pitch. It has been a while so hopefully it will all be rosy from here on in."

Having been ruled out twice with calf problems this term, Taylor is hoping he will soon be back to full fitness. After being assessed and treated by the club's medical team, the No14 is confident his injury issues are behind him and he will soon be back to doing what he does best.

With a club-high six assists to his name, the left-sided player is set to be an influential figure for the Hammers as they continue their quest for the title and promotion back to the Premier League.

"The calf its feeling better but has been niggly and we have seeked out the best treatment that we could find," he confirmed.

"Fortunately, we've got a programme in training and hopefully it will all start coming together now and we can get back to playing football."