Burke's pride at top flight debut

Saturday's 0-0 draw at Queens Park Rangers was a proud moment for Reece Burke

While Saturday's 0-0 draw at Queens Park Rangers was one that will not catch too many headlines in the morning papers, it will nevertheless be a game remembered forever by Reece Burke.

The 18-year-old Academy graduate made his Barclays Premier League bow at Loftus Road, having previously featured in FA and Capital One Cup fixtures in the last two seasons.

Burke slotted in seamlessly alongside James Collins as the Hammers kept their first clean sheet for a month and he was understandably beaming with pride after the landmark occasion.

He said: "I've played a few games for the first team before, but Saturday was at a different level in the Premier League. 

"I'm glad I've made my Premier League debut - I thought I did alright and hopefully there's many more games to come.

"In training this week, I just thought I'd be travelling with the squad like I did at Man City last week, and maybe make the bench. After Winston Reid picked up a little injury I thought he might chuck me in and I found out on Friday I'd be playing, so I had to prepare well.

"I'm just really happy we kept a clean sheet. There's always room for improvement and that's for me to go away, watch the game back and work on what I need to work on.

"It was a case of keeping it simple and not over-complicating things. That's what the lads were telling me, make sure my first pass and first header were good and go from there. That's the way it went so I'm pleased."

Ginge helped me throughout the game, talking to me and telling me not to get too tight to Bobby Zamora
Hailing from Newham and from a family of staunch West Ham fans, Burke's pride was shared by his parents.

He continued: "My parents came to watch the game and I saw them at the end, which was a bit emotional.

"I'm happy and they're happy as well. Saturday was a very emotional day for me - I've been at the Club since the age of nine so playing at QPR is looking back at a long journey. I just want to keep going."

Burke also paid tribute to James Collins, whose experienced head helped him through his league debut.

"Ginge helped me throughout the game, talking to me and telling me not to get too tight to Bobby Zamora as he's a strong lad.

"He spoke to me a lot during the game and helped me to do well."