CHRIS Baird is eyeing another contract at Fulham - despite a frustrating two-plus seasons spent mostly on the sidelines.

And it looks as if the Europa League has come to the rescue of the 27-year-old Northern Ireland international in the nick of time.

If there was one player in white more than any other delighted by the club's qualification for Europe, it's Baird.

He knew a rotating squad would reopen a door all but slammed in his face by the departure of the man who bought him for £3million in the summer of 2007.

Once Lawrie Sanchez was given the boot in December of that year, so too, to all intents and purposes, was Baird, as three new right-backs and three more central defenders pushed him to the back of the queue.

But with the onslaught of Europe and injuries, Baird has chalked up 14 appearances already - three more than the entirety for the last campaign where he got only four starts.

And the defender still has ambitions to unseat either Brede Hangeland or Aaron Hughes and reclaim his favoured centre-half slot.

"It was good at the start," Baird said. "But I wasn't playing in the right position at right-back - and I had a tough time with the fans - everyone knows that.

"It's been hard because Brede and Aaron have been solid. I've been patient I know I'm not a right-back or a centre mid - but at the moment I'm just enjoying getting in the team.

"Before this, I'd not being playing much in the league - so the Europa Cup for me has been fantastic. If you train all week, but you're on the bench at the weekend, it's bound to be frustrating."

Fulham would have bit the hand off anyone offering something like the money they paid for Baird in the past two summers, but not for a second has the player himself regretted the move to west London.

He said: "Never once did I think I'd made a big mistake. I know my best position is centre-back - and I've just had to be patient. In regards to a new contract, it's up to the club if they want to approach me - if they do, then we should sit down and talk about it."

Fulham are at Wigan on Sunday following the trip to Roma last night - the latest chapter in the Europa League drama.

Baird reckons the DW Stadium and Latics will be tough if not tougher than last Saturday's home triumph over Liverpool.

He added: "Wigan lost heavily to Portsmouth last weekend - and that's always difficult for the next team to face them, because they'll want to bounce back."