RICHARD HAUGHTON wants to put last season's injury nightmare behind him by staking a claim for a regular first team spot at Saracens.

The lightning quick wing was limited to just 14 appearances - 11 of them starts - through a combination of injuries and the palatable form of his back row team-mates Kameli Ratuvou, Dan Scarbrough and Thomas Castaignede.

And with his contract set to expire at the end of the new campaign Haughton knows it is make or break time for him with the Men in Black.

He wants to stay at the club who nurtured his talent from a young age but admits he may have to look elsewhere if he does not get enough game time to prove he can be a consistent performer.

Alan Gaffney is looking to bolster his pool of wide men following the departures of Tevita Vaikona and Tomas de Vedia to Parisian outfit Racing Metro 92 and London Irish respectively.

But Haughton, who can also play at full-back thinks the director of rugby need look no further and is attempting to steal a march on any new rivals by, in his words, laying down the gauntlet' in pre-season training.

He is battling to get into peak condition for Sarries' involvement in the Middlesex Sevens tournament next month and friendlies against London Welsh (August 24) at Old Albanian RFC and Munster (September 7) in Cork.

He is also putting in extra work with the club's physios on the injury prevention front, and who can blame him.

He was sidelined for a few weeks after taking a huge hit to his shoulder in last season's Premiership opener against Wasps. The 26-year-old then endured more misery after suffering medial ligament damage to his knee at Bath in February. He made his comeback for the A team only to suffer a recurrence of the same injury.

During his time on the treatment table, Haughton watched as they likes of international trio Ratuvou, Scarbrough and Castaignede cashed in with some sparkling performances to become Gaffney's favoured back three.

But the man known as Del' has warned he will fight tooth and nail to break into the starting XV and capture the sort of form that saw him become a regular for the England Sevens and recipient of the Young Player of the Year award in the 2002/03 season.

"The coaches told me they were not happy with some of my performances," said Haughton of his form during the early stages of last season. "I played a few more games and that wad the end of my involvement.

"I could see the point they were making to me but I was disappointed I never got other opportunities to prove myself.

"But you look at who we had in the back three and it was always going to be hard for anyone to press their claim. There is so much competition there and it brought out the best in people like Kameli, Dan Scarbrough and Tomas de Vedia.

"But as long as the team is going well I'm happy."

The strong tackler plans to seize his chance when a cluster of Saracens players are on international duty at the World Cup in France later this year. By doing so, he wants to give Gaffney every reason to offer him a new deal.

"I aim to make one of the positions my own but we will have to wait and see what happens after the World Cup when players like Kameli return," he added. "If I get a chance they I am going to take it.

"I've been at Saracens for eight years and it's like a second home to me. My ideal situation would be to stay at the club, but it's a question of what happens this season.

"You've always got to look at other options but, given the chance, I would happily extend my stay here."

Haughton has been given assurances by Gaffney that he figures in his plans for the new campaign but the former Dorking man knows there is much more riding on the gruelling nine months ahead.

"I spoke to Alan at the end of the season and it's all about me proving my worth," he said. "I'll aim for the Middlesex Sevens next month before doing the business for Sarries."

Off the pitch, Haughton champions the cause of the club's charitable arm, the Saracens Foundation, where he educates school pupils about the game and its fitness benefits.

"It's great fun and it helped me take my mind off things when I was injured," he said. "It's another side of the game and a lot of the players here like to give something back to the community."

Haughton picked up the Award for Service to the Community at the club's end of season bash in May and was nominated for the EDF Energy Community Player of the Season award.

"I've been up for it before so it was quite nice to win it," he added. "A player of the month award would be nicer still."

And it is this refreshing outlook which has, in part, been inspired by some of his club-mates.

Andy Farrell and Richard Hill both overcame career-threatening injuries to play their part in last season's success and while his problems are not comparable Haughton applauded their strength through adversity.

"You would not wish Richard Hill's injury on anyone but he came back last season, took his opportunity and did well," he added.