West Ham star admits he did not expect so much game time

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The Hammer, currently starring for Slaven Bilic’s side, has been surprised at the amount of action he has seen.

West Ham United goalkeeper Darren Randolph has admitted in an interview with the club’s official website that he did not expect to get so much first-team game time after joining the club in 2015.

Randolph arrived in East London from Birmingham City in the summer of 2015 on a free transfer, ostensibly as back-up for first-choice stopper Adrian.

However, he ended his first season at the club having made 15 appearances in all competitions, including six in the Premier League.

He featured heavily in the early rounds of the Europa League this term, and appears to have displaced Adrian as first choice after starting the last two Premier League games.

His form with the Hammers has also seen him become the Republic of Ireland’s number one in the last 12 months, but the 29-year-old admitted he never truly expected to be this successful at the club.

Randolph told the West Ham website: “I knew coming in last year that I was coming in to fight for the place, but Adrian had been here for three seasons and had been very good, so I knew it would be a waiting game. If I got chances in the cup games, I knew I had to perform and that’s all I could have done.

“I was quite lucky last year with the FA Cup run we had and getting the last few Premier League games of the season and a few at the start of this season in Europe. I got quite a few games, a lot more than I thought I would play last year. I’ve got my chance and I’m just enjoying it, because it’s been a long wait.

“I don’t know if I’m in the form of my life, but it’s definitely become a reality now, when before I thought ‘It would be nice to get there’. At the minute, I’ve achieved the goals I set out to achieve, but while it’s hard to get where you want to be, it’s even harder to stay there. Hopefully there is more to come.”

Randolph has certainly been a safe pair of hands in the majority of the games he has played for the club, and with Adrian coming in for criticism from fans and pundits on occasion this season, the Irishman could perhaps make the number one spot his own for the long term.