PATRICK BAMFORD

Nobody in the footballing world got here by having it handed to them.

Even though I was sent to private school, it was purely because mum and dad wanted the best for me, and they worked their socks off in order to be able to give me that.

When I decided to move to Chelsea, I got a bit of stick at the time, but I didn't move just because of the money or just because it was a big club. I moved there because I wanted to play for them.

If you play for managers like Karl Robinson, it's about your development, but there are times when you have to stick up for yourself and let defenders know you are around when nobody is looking.

I don't have any reason not to be at Chelsea. It is my dream to put on that blue shirt and play for them eventually.

My dream was to play for Chelsea - maybe I was bit naive.

I had a chat with my dad and decided that sometimes you've just got to look like you're fighting. So I started putting myself about a bit more, showing a bit more aggression in training.

I started at Nottingham Forest cleaning toilets and scrubbing the shower floors.

It's important to feel wanted by your manager.

A lot of people said I left Nottingham Forest for the wrong reasons, but that wasn't true. I wanted to play for a top team like Chelsea.

I went home every night wondering how to get in the Burnley team. It was, 'You've been brought up nicely, had everything handed to you.' Is that what people think just because I went to private school and played instruments?

I want to play for Chelsea. I hope I do get that chance, and I think I can compete.

Relegation hurts, of course. It's one of the things that you will keep forever. But you have to move on as soon as you can.

Obviously, when I signed for Middlesbrough, I was hoping that we would stay up and that I'd be a big player for them in the Premier League.

It's about getting experience and developing. The best way to do that is to go out on loan to play first-team football.

No one wants to sit on the bench and not play.

At a club like Chelsea, they have the money to buy world class strikers like Diego Costa, and there's also that pressure to win trophies. I just have to stick with it, be patient, and hopefully my rewards will come.

I think for every young player of my age, they have to go out on loan. I know there's an U21 league and the Europa League for the youth teams, but it's not the same as playing men's football, when there's a lot more riding on it.

If you are doing well, then your name is always bandied about.

We have to try to be positive now and look to the future and think positive things: then positive things will happen.

I've always believed that when I play up front and once I've scored, then I keep scoring.

I did French, history, biology, chemistry, and general studies at A level.

The fans are entitled to voice their opinion.

As long as I can keep pushing on and climbing the ladder, then that's good.

When I go on loan, I don't really think about Chelsea. I just concentrate on the team I'm at and try to help them, same as when I was at MK Dons, Derby, and Middlesbrough.