Kyel's title delight

On-loan West Ham United winger Kyel Reid will get his hands on the Coca-Cola Championship trophy following Wolverhampton Wanderers' final home match of the season on Sunday.

Wolves were crowned champions and secured promotion to the Premier League after Reid scored a dramatic late equaliser at Barnsley last Saturday.

This weekend, Mick McCarthy's men will be presented with the Championship trophy but, Reid hopes, not before the champions complete their campaign with a win over Rovers at Molineux.

Reid has made eight Championship and one FA Cup appearance for Wolves, scoring one goal. Following Sunday's climax, the 21-year-old will return to Chadwell Heath to train with West Ham ahead of next weekend's fixture against Liverpool at the Boleyn Ground.

"My loan spell has gone very well. It was good for me to get out there and play a few games and catch a few people's eyes as well, including Gianfranco Zola's. We have a very young team at Wolves and good team spirit. It was just good to be among the champions!

"The goal I scored at Barnsley was the highlight of my career so far, but I must admit I had mixed emotions during the game as I spent a time on loan at Barnsley two seasons ago. I played 26 games for them so going back there was also good. To be fair, scoring the equaliser against them to clinch promotion was a good feeling as well, so I had slightly mixed feelings. As I came on, the Barnsley fans gave me a nice round of applause, but after I scored I went to the Wolves fans."

Reid, who spent five weeks on loan at Blackpool earlier this season, has thoroughly enjoyed his time under Mick McCarthy at Wolves. There, he played alongside a host of promising young players, including the Championship's top-scorer Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and England Under-21 winger Michael Kightly.

"Wolves have got a good, young team with players like Ebanks-Blake and Kightly and the team spirit there is just great. Mick likes to play attacking football with wingers so it was fun to play in.

"They are a great club and the facilities were good. In a way, they deserve to be in the Premier League because they are a big club with history."

Now his loan spell is coming to an end, Reid has revealed his intention to force his way into Zola's thoughts for the final three Premier League fixtures of the season. The left-sided wideman has not featured in the top-flight this term, but did appear as a substitute in the Carling Cup ties against Macclesfield Town and Watford, scoring in the former.

"My job now is to come back here and work as hard as I can to impress the manager and force my way into the squad at West Ham. I was back in training on Tuesday and was hoping to be involved in the big game we've got against Liverpool. That would be a good turn around for me! I'd like to be involved in the last few games."

To force his way into the West Ham first-team, Reid will have to dislodge fellow Academy graduate and close friend Junior Stanislas, who has burst into Zola's squad in recent weeks.

"Junior is a good friend of mine. We came up through the youth team together and we also come from the same area, so it's good to see him doing well and getting games. I've also been pleased to see Jack, James and Josh coming through and doing well. It's good for everyone that West Ham have so many youngsters coming through the ranks."

Elsewhere, Lee Bowyer is suspended for Birmingham City's vital trip to Reading. The Blues need to a victory to join Wolves in the Premier League next season, while a draw will be enough should Sheffield United fail to win at Crystal Palace.

On Saturday, Jordan Spence will end his loan spell at League One Leyton Orient with a home fixture against Huddersfield Town. Left-back Joe Widdowson will end his loan spell at Grimsby Town with the Mariners needing to pick up a point at home to Macclesfield Town to guarantee their League Two survival.

In the Premier League, Calum Davenport's Sunderland will host Everton on Sunday afternoon in a match being screened live by Sky television.