Chelsea midfield ace Frank Lampard says his apprenticeship at West Ham United was the making of him.

Lampard was back at Upton Park last night for academy director Tony Carr's testimonial.

"I look back on my time as a youth team player under Tony as one of the most enjoyable in my career," said Lampard. "There was less pressure back then and I was doing my best to learn the game. Tony was fairly strict in terms of discipline and that stood us in good stead.

"We had a nice group of young players then, Rio (Ferdinand) was in my age group, and we were taught good habits the West Ham way. Technique was always important, the ability to pass the ball well. Off the pitch Tony insisted on discipline. We had to clean the boots of the senior players and clear up the terraces. We had a check list of duties and we would have to finish them before being allowed to go home. The first team players had long gone but we were still there at 5pm sometimes.

"It was good for us but it doesn't happen now and I think that's a pity. I had to clean the boots of Julian Dicks and Tony Cottee among others. It was good because it meant you had a connection to the first team. Julian used to slag me off when his boots weren't up to standard but he gave me a nice tip when he was satisfied. It was all part of learning your trade.

"These days there doesn't seem to be the same connection, things are more separate and that's not a good thing."