TEENAGER Reece Burke is ready to man up during his loan stay with City.

The West Ham centre half delivered a composed debut at Barnsley and is gearing up for a first taste of Valley Parade against Port Vale on Saturday.

Burke is no novice on the pitch after being thrown in for five Premier League outings at the end of last season.

But the 18-year-old views the temporary switch to West Yorkshire as his chance to mature off it. This is the first time the east London lad, who has played for his local club since the under-nines, has had to cope away from home.

Burke said: “I know it’s only a month at the moment but it’s the longest I’ll be away from my family.

“It felt weird driving up three hours on the motorway last week but I think I’ll be all right.

“Going on loan and being away from my parents is a chance for me to grow up and be a man.

“Obviously you’ve got to take your responsibilities seriously because everything is in your hands. But I think that’s a good thing for my development.”

Burke’s impressive display at Oakwell has already got fans calling for Phil Parkinson to extend his youth loan, which initially runs until September 20.

The youngster, who is not in Slaven Bilic's immediate plans with the Hammers, has indicated that he would be interested if the next month pans out as he hopes.

“If I do well and the gaffer wants to extend it, depending how I feel I’ll go along with it,” he added.

“It’s a good club and I am enjoying being here so far. I’ve settled in already, so I wouldn’t mind staying here longer.

“Football is different in every division and it’s going to be more physical with League One teams.

“But it’s doing me good to play against different opposition and the way other strikers play. It’s all about getting that experience from game time.

“I was involved in the Europa League at West Ham and played in a few friendlies. But as the season started I got pushed to the back.

“There were quite a few new signings and quite a lot of centre halves there.

“After the first game of the season the manager made it clear I could go out on loan, so it was about getting it done.

“Charlton were interested but I would have had to fight for my place a bit more. But I hoped coming to League One I can get football every week.

“I heard loads of good things about the club and I think it’s going to be a great choice for me.”

Last weekend’s goalless draw stopped the rot after a dismal home showing against Gillingham. But City need to build on that with a first win of the season this weekend.

On his first day at the club, Burke sat in on the Gillingham post-mortem when Parkinson got tough with his squad. He feels the morale within the dressing room is still positive.

“Obviously you want to win every game but the mood seems good.

“I wouldn’t say there’s much negativity on the training ground.

“We had that meeting with the gaffer about getting back to basics and hopefully the results will improve now. It’s all about doing your job right and performing.”