Cardiff City's Darcy Blake eager for first start of season
Last updated on .From the section Football
Wales international defender Darcy Blake hopes to kick-start his season in Cardiff City's Carling Cup tie against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday.
Blake, whose pre-season was disrupted by injury, has yet to start a game for the Bluebirds this season.
And the 22-year-old is willing to play in any position across the backline to try to impress manager Malky Mackay.
"I don't mind where I play so long as I get a start and hopefully I will do my best," said Blake.
Blake has shown his versatility by playing in a number of positions in defence and midfield since making his Cardiff debut against Crewe in April 2006.
But he has been hampered by a shin splint problem which he sustained during pre-season.
"I've been working on my fitness to try and get back fully fit, to be given this chance and show him that I deserve a place in the starting line-up," he said.
"Wherever he [Mackay] plays me then I'm going to try my hardest [and] stay in that position for league games as well.
"He's started me in a number of different positions during training when we've played 11 versus 11.
"I've played right-back, centre-back, left-back - [where] I had a couple of games last season - and centre-midfield.
"If he plays me centre-mid then that's the position I'm going to concentrate on the most.
"I need to stick with one position for a long period of time. I'm still getting moved around which I quite often have been."
Blake played 20 minutes as a substitute in Cardiff's 1-1 draw at Burnley in the Championship last Saturday.
He also made a second-half substitutes appearance for Wales against Australia and scored his first senior goal.
Wales' 2-1 defeat against the Socceroos was on the same evening Cardiff won 3-1 at Oxford United in the Carling Cup first round.
With Blake one of eight players unavailable due to international commitments, manager Mackay was forced to include a number of youngsters.
And Blake believes the Carling Cup competition is a good opportunity for the manager to give squad members a of taste first-team action.
"There's opportunities for everyone now," said Blake. "For the young lads, I think they impressed [in] the last game [at Oxford].
"Alex Evans done well in the game and Nat [Nathaniel Jarvis] obviously got his goal.
"There's opportunities for the youngsters but obviously [also for] people who have not been playing, like myself, to try and prove a point to show we are ready.
"Hopefully [I'll] get a chance in the league games then."
