Wolves defender Stephen Ward admits he sometimes pinches himself to make sure he really is living the life of a Premier League footballer.
Ward admits he is living the dream - at a big club in the best league in the world. He is a more than decent left-back and far better than the 'emergency' forward tag that often comes his way.
"Obviously you do try and take it in your stride but I or anyone would be lying if they said they don't sometimes have a moment where they think about just being a part of the Premier League, because it is unbelievable," he told the Sunday Mercury.
"It is the best league in the world. Everyone at our club grew up watching it. I used to collect all the football cards.
"Manchester United were my favourite team and Ryan Giggs especially, because I was left-footed. I tried to be him on the playground. Most of my family were Liverpool fans, so I used to get a bit of stick, but if you have a favourite player as a kid you want to watch them as much as you can.
"To be lining up against some of these players years later, well, it was like living in a fantasy world. But we're there for a third season now so I suppose we've got to start thinking of it as a reality. We are there for a reason and perhaps that belief helped us stay up. People will have seen how much it meant to us on the last day."
