Osaze Odemwingie believes his 30th birthday will herald the peak years of his career as he targets topping last season’s Barclays Premier League 15-goal haul.

The Nigeria international enjoyed his most prolific campaign in a stunning first year in England.

He is now determined to prove it was no one-season wonder – and insists age is no barrier after celebrating the ‘big 30’ with his team-mates on Albion’s USA tour. last week.

“I started late as a player,” said Odemwingie.

“At Lille when I had my previous best season with 14 goals, I was 25 and 26 and the goals reduced a bit in Moscow because I wasn’t playing as a striker all the time.

“But I do believe that towards the end of my career is when I am being most productive.

“I think this is the best period of my career so far.

“Last season was the proof of that and I think these coming few years will also be good.

“The older a player is the more intelligent he becomes in football and he can be more productive.

“I am always in competition with myself and beating my own records shows me that I am going forward, growing and improving.

“So I will set myself a target of beating my own record again.

“It is going to depend on how much I want it and how much I go for it, but football is also a team game.

“If my team isn’t playing well it won’t go well for me either.

“In most of the games I scored a goal in last season, our team in general played well.

“If the whole team plays well I will get chances and get goals, so my prayer will be that the whole team functions properly and everybody plays well.

“If that happens, then as a striker I need to get goals for the team and myself.

“Hopefully the whole team as a unit can do well.”

Odemwingie surpassed Robert Earnshaw’s Albion record for the most goals in a Premier League season and he is expecting to come in for some close attention from opposition defenders next term.

But he insists he has some surprises in store for opponents too and reckons he will enter the campaign with more weapons in his armoury than a year ago.

He said: “There will be more attention towards me but it is a new me as well.

“I’m not the same player who arrived just before the season.

“People will look at me more but my confidence has grown as well.

“I have more experience and I know the league, so hopefully that will help me at least repeat what I did last season.

“I am a better player now.

“I am faster, I think quicker and try to get myself into positions where I can get a goal.”

Odemwingie is also approaching his second Premier League season newly-refreshed, after his two-year football marathon was finally ended with a long-awaited summer break.

The forward arrived at The Hawthorns last summer having already started the Russian season immediately after playing for Nigeria at the World Cup, which in turn came on the back of the previous Russian campaign.

It meant he played for two years without the chance to rest his limbs – and niggling injuries were an inevitable consequence.

But Odemwingie arrived in California with the Baggies fighting fit.

“I had a nice break,” he added.

“I wasn’t invited to the national team because of a little argument with the coach, so I had more time to myself to rest and I had a good summer.

“I visited family in South Africa, Nigeria and Moscow and travelled to America for a few weeks, as well as the south of France for a week to see my French friends. And a few friends came over from Moscow.

“I needed that because it’s been two years since I had two or three weeks completely free, so I feel very good now and rested.”

And Odemwingie believes the Baggies’ pre-season trip to the United States has been ideal.

“It’s gone well and you won’t hear too many complaints – things are good,” he said.

“The pitch is good, the hotel is beautiful and suits everyone.

“There is a golf course and lots of nature so it’s peaceful and you can rest well.

“Many of the players play golf and I had my first try at it, and I play a little bit of tennis with Paul Scharner, so everybody finds little things to do.

“Most of the boys are into golf so they enjoy themselves in the evening, so it was a good choice of place.

“Flying so far for pre-season, it has to be worth it, and everyone is satisfied.”