Captain looks ahead to new season

The countdown to the new season begins today with the release of the Premiership fixtures for 2006/2007.

Hammers Captain, Nigel Reo-Coker thinks Charlton at home is a great fixture to kick-off the new campaign and can't wait for the new season to begin.

"It is a really good fixture and will hopefully see us start the season on a positive note. It will be great to be in front of our home fans as well as I am sure they will be in good voice which will give us that extra boost," says the young midfielder who scored in the season opener against Blackburn last August.

"I think the key to having a good season in the Premiership is to get off to a good start which we demonstrated last year, so if we can begin well again and get that momentum going this time hopefully we can repeat that success and build on it."

The team may well have now put the disappointment of Cardiff and the FA Cup final out of their minds but with the second away game of the season pairing us with Liverpool so early on, the young midfielder does see it as a chance for revenge.

"That will certainly be a bit of a grudge match after what happened in the Cup final and it is typical of football that we are playing them so soon after! But myself and the rest of the lads have moved on and put that match out of our minds.

"We are now looking forward and have set ourselves new goals for the season which is mainly to finish even higher in the table and to win some silverware.

"As footballers the day the fixtures come out is a very exciting one as the Premiership is such a fantastic league and I just can't wait for that opener against Charlton now."

By Miranda Nagalingam