Matthew Etherington is expecting manager Alan Curbishley to have a "little bit of a headache" over team selection when his former club Tottenham Hotspur visit on Sunday.
The likes of Scott Parker, Freddie Ljungberg and Dean Ashton are among the fit-again players hoping to be involved this weekend, but Curbishley will also be well aware of the commitment and contribution of those that have taken the club to five games unbeaten. Etherington is among that number, having already scored three times in eleven league games and excelled in a left-sided partnership with George McCartney.
Speaking on WHUTV, the winger said: "The players that have come in have done well and we have got some quality to come back, some very good players. It will give the manager a little bit of a headache about what to do but it is a good headache for him to have. I am sure we will all be geared up for Tottenham."
The 26-year-old will have extra motivation for wanting to be at his best, having played 45 times for Tottenham between January 2000 and August 2003 prior to his move to east London. "It is a game that has some meaning," he said. "I always look forward to the games against Tottenham. I am sure the fans do and the players do as well. We know what it means to the fans."
Etherington added that the 5-0 victory at Derby County before the international break had only helped the positive mood in the camp. "We will be going into the game full of confidence and knowing we are more than capable of getting the three points," he said. Spurring him on as well will be that realisation that more and more players are going to be competing for starting spots.
"Obviously I know I need to play well week in, week out and I like to think I have started the season quite well," he added. "It is good for me personally but if I don't do well then I know I am going to get pushed out of the team. I have got Kyel Reid behind me and Luis Boa Morte can play there as well. There is good competition for places and that is what you want at a Premier League club. It just shows that we are pushing on in the right direction."