Stoke City midfielder Glenn Whelan believes his Carling Cup exploits are enough for him to see regular league action.

Recently, Whelan has been used sparingly by Stoke boss Tony Pulis but recent performances suggest that might be about to change.

"I think I'm more than capable of forcing myself back into the team here, I will just work hard and we'll see how it goes from there," Whelan told the club's official website.

"If you ask any player here they want to play every game, but obviously that's not possible this year.

"We've got a big squad and a lot of talented players so I'll just wait for my chance. If I work hard and keep doing well then I'm sure my time will come.

"Any chance you get to go out and play in front of the manager you want to do your best to break into the first team and give him a bit of a headache.

"I think a lot of the lads have been in and around the fringes so we were confident that we were going to go out and put on a good performance and do well.

"Over the last few weeks the team has done terrific and you can't really complain but a lot of the other lads are keeping them on their toes.

"I think the first team have to be ready because they know if they slip up then there are lads there waiting to nick their place and hopefully keep it