Kristi Montgomery is a man in form as his Blackburn Rovers development continues game by game.
The Academy graduate has impressed this season, playing every Championship game so far.
His seven starts have already matched last season and his increased status in midfield is doing him plenty of good.
Montgomery's performances have matured, in what is a physical area of the pitch. He is winning more duels and showing the physicality to match his natural energy and tenacity out of possession.
His brilliant strike against Sheffield United showed his technical quality too, something Tony Mowbray wants to continue developing.
"I am really enjoying my football at the moment," Montgomery told RoversTV after the win over Millwall.
"For as long as I have remembered, I have wanted to play first-team football for Blackburn. It's great to be in this rhythm but the job isn't ever done.
"I have to keep going and keep striving to develop. I feel confident and it's credit to my team-mates, the gaffer and the coaching staff for their help.
"It's great for a manager like Tony Mowbray to have faith in you, it's a huge compliment.
"I have to keep showing I am the right man for the job, there is more to come. I've had the opportunities and I want to keep this momentum going."
Mowbray already feels Montgomery's ceiling is high and that his status is growing. Playing alongside Sam Morsy or Adam Forshaw will help as he gains more experience.
It now feels like Montgomery and another, in a summer where central midfield felt like the area that needed the most surgery.
Though results haven't always followed for Rovers, Saturday was another impressive performance. The victory will be a relief for the players, though Montgomery insisted they'd kept faith.
"It was massive," he admitted.
"The past few games haven't been amazing results but it was great to get the three points at home.
"It's been massively frustrating that we haven't got the results we have deserved. But we knew if we kept creating the chances, they'd fall at some point.
"Dapo and Andri came up with the goals but it was a great team performance. We dug in deep in the last 20 minutes, headers and blocks around the box.
"The players coming off the bench made a big impact. We need the players coming in to help us when others are getting tired.
"It's a massive relief to get the win and when Andri scored, it helped knowing we had won."
Mowbray has bemoaned a lack of time to train with a relentless schedule that's seen Rovers play seven times in 21 days.
The week's gap to Portsmouth away will come as a welcome relief as the players prioritise rest and recovery.
Two empty weekends follow, with the aim to finish on a high before the first international pause.
"We have a full week of training without a game, finally," Montgomery said.
"We'll get a rest and it feels even better with three points, it's a pat on the back.
"It puts us in a good position going to the middle of October. We have to focus on Portsmouth to try and get the three points."
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