JOEY O'Brien is determined to continue making life awkward for Sam Allardyce.

The 19-year-old Dubliner, who came from nowhere to become a Premiership regular, continues to amaze with the maturity and effectiveness of his performances at right back, which is just as well with Nicky Hunt spending the best part of three months on the sidelines with a broken leg and then suffering a setback on his return.

But now, with the England Under-21 international back in the swing, there could be a selection hadache round the corner for the manager - and O'Brien, the midfielder turned defender, is relishing it.

"I'm just happy to be playing," he said, "because, as long as I'm playing well and the team is winning, I'm making it harder for the gaffer to drop me.

"The shirt's on my back and, if I keep playing well, it stays on my back."

O'Brien benefited immensely from the three-month loan stint he had at Sheffield Wednesday last season and came to the fore in pre-season with a number of outings in his favoured midfield role. But it is at right-back, as emergency cover for Hunt, that he has established himself as a first team regular.

Personally, he does not see it as a permanent arrangement but he is gradually coming round to the idea of a career change.

"Obviously I'm delighted just to be playing," he added. "And, if the gaffer says I play full-back, I'm not going to argue about the position.

"He sees me as a full-back at the moment and I'm playing for him and for the team. If he asked me to play in midfield, I would, hopefully, do a job for him there."

Wanderers might be thin on the ground, numbers wise, for this evening's game at Blackburn, but O'Brien believes there were performances at Watford last week, where Khalilou Fadiga, Hidetoshi Nakata, Jay Jay Okocha and Jared Borgetti answered the call to arms, that gave the manager food for thought.

"Khalli and Hide helped Jay Jay run the show in midfield in a great team performance," he said.

"We battered them and thoroughly deserved the 3-0, and the lads who came in have made it hard for the gaffer to drop them, which is good for him

"We still have players away at the African Nations Cup, so some of the lads who came in last week could be playing again on Saturday."