Gary O'Neil has got that top-flight feeling back after making his first Barclays Premier League appearance in more than 18 months.
The all-action midfielder was in typically energetic form as West Ham United scored a 3-1 victory at Blackpool on Wednesday evening, working his socks off for his new side following a January move from Championship side Middlesbrough.
Ironically, it was O'Neil's first Barclays Premier League game since he scored in a 2-1 defeat for Boro at the Boleyn Ground on 24 May 2009 - a result that saw Middlesbrough relegated.
WATCH GARY O'NEIL ON WEST HAM TV
"I was away for too long and I missed it," said O'Neil. "I really enjoyed it on Wednesday night and I don't want to go back down there so we need to try and stay in the league this year."Having been involved in a couple of relegation battles in his career - winning one with Portsmouth before losing one with Middlesbrough - the 27-year-old is relishing the challenge of keeping the Hammers up.
At Bloomfield Road, he made a hugely-encouraging start to his career in claret and blue, working up and down the right flank and combining well with right-back Lars Jacobsen, his fellow midfielders and forwards Robbie Keane and Frederic Piquionne.
"It was a big night for us. Going up there we knew we needed a result and we needed the three points. It's helped us to climb the table a little bit so we need to try and build on it at the weekend.
"I think we won it with our first-half performance. It was a bit of a freak goal that they scored but apart from that I thought we were dominant.
"We could have had a couple more goals as we had two good chances right at the start of the second half to kill it off.
"When you're two goals up away from home, it's hard to push too far forward so we were always going to come under a little bit of pressure. I don't think they created too many chances - just long balls that the back four and Greeny dealt well with, so it was a fairly comfortable win."
O'Neil was one of four major signings made by the club during the January transfer window, joining fellow new boys Keane, Wayne Bridge and Demba Ba at the Boleyn Ground.
Keane scored on his debut at Blackpool, while Bridge is settling in well, and the Bromley-born player believes the quartet can play a major part in West Ham's survival bid.
"I think Robbie, with the quality that he has got, has been a top, top player for years. He caused them problems all evening and took his goal well.
"Wayne was here before me and he's another top player. The club has done really well in the transfer window. We've got a good squad in place so hopefully we can push on and finish outside that dreaded bottom three."
West Ham can climb out of that 'dreaded' relegation zone when 17th-placed Birmingham City visit the Boleyn Ground on Sunday afternoon.
O'Neil made his debut in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg defeat by the Blues last month and, like his new team-mates, will be desperate to score a victory over Alex McLeish's side.
To do so, the determined midfielder said the coaching staff and players would be leaving no stone unturned in preparation for this weekend's fixture.
"The lads are buzzing and now we need to get ready for another massive game. The big games are coming thick and fast so we need to make sure we're right for the weekend."