Source: Team_Talk
Holden hopes to 'keep pushing on'
olton midfielder Stuart Holden has vowed he will not rest on his laurels after earning a new contract at the Reebok Stadium.[LNB] The USA international saw his pay-packet boosted after he was handed a new three-year deal at The Reebok following his fine start to the season.[LNB]Holden arrived in Lancashire in last term's January transfer window and the former Houston Dynamo has been a revelation for the Trotters and has missed just 13 minutes of Premier League action so far.[LNB]And the 24-year-old is determined to prove boss Owen Coyle was right to offer him a new contract which will keep him at Wanderers until 2013.[LNB]"It's nice to have that bit of security but it's not something I want to rest on," he told The Bolton News. "I want to keep pushing on and showing the fans and the manager why they should have that faith in me. [LNB]"They believe I can be a big player for this club so it's up to me to show that I can keep performing, and pushing this team forward." [LNB]As the division's top tackler at present, Holden has so far defied his diminutive frame to take the role of chief enforcer in the Wanderers midfield alongside fellow tough-tackler Fabrice Muamba. [LNB]He may have arrived at The Reebok a relative unknown in the English game, but the Scotland-born playmaker is revelling in his chance to prove the doubters wrong. [LNB]"The manager gave me a chance, brought me into the club on a free transfer and a short-term contract and asked me to prove myself," he said. [LNB]"I've done part of that but it's not a finished job. I need to keep my place in the team and try to make Bolton the top team I think they can be. [LNB]"I've always had the self-belief that I had some ability and that I could handle football at this level. [LNB]"I'm playing with some great players around me and they are giving me the platform to play at the minute. [LNB]"It's a team game, and if sometimes I'm required to do the dirty work and make tackles, or if in others I have to get on the ball more, then I have no problem with that. I'm enjoying my football at the moment." [LNB]Holden admits there was a sense of frustration in the Wanderers camp, having failed to go into the international break on a winning note. [LNB]The 1-1 draw at West Brom was the fifth of the current campaign, although the former MLS star doesn't think the Whites are far away from where they want to be. [LNB]"It's just that killer instinct we're missing right now to finish off games," Holden said. [LNB]"There are a lot of positives to take, and a lot of encouragement because we're playing good football. We've just got to learn how to finish them off. [LNB]"A draw is better than a loss but I think that's six points that have gone missing, and we thought we should have got. [LNB]"We'd be worried if we weren't creating chances or playing well but we've been really close to getting all three points on a couple of occasions now. [LNB]"We've just got to focus on the little things and tighten up for the next game at Stoke."
