SKIPPER Gary Speed says it's time Wales changed from being a side which are hard to beat into a side which wins games.

And the man who will be the most capped Welsh player out on the pitch on Saturday has only one thing on his mind.

"The only thing I'm concentrating on is capitilising on our good work and securing the win," said Speed.

"I haven't really thought about my caps to be honest."

Speed is 31 this year, and he realises time is running out for him. "I am aware of my age and I do think about it sometimes.

"But I can see myself playing until I'm 35, and I'd like to think that I'd be involved in four years time." Speed though has more reason than most in the side to want to win. The Newcastle midfielder was in the team on the fateful night against Romania in 1993, and he well remembers the faces of the older players who realised their chance had gone. "They all had their heads in their hands, they knew, you don't forget a sight like that," he said. "I'm just glad that we're improving, and I just hope that the chance hasn't gone this time. "In 1993 we weren't really thinking about the future.

"When something like that happens, when you get so close, you don't look forward. "But as time goes on you do look back and you do want to be in that situation again." The Newcastle midfielder is one of the rare breed of footballers who stay loyal to the club they are with.

And the Welsh skipper has just negotiated a two-year extension to his contract at Newcastle.

"I've put the contract out of my mind for the Wales game," he said. "But it's just a mater of dotting the i's and crossing the t's.

"It's been frustrating the last two or three months bec ause there has been speculation. "But i'm happy there because it is such a massive club." Speed though just wants to concentrate on the task at hand, and has no doubt how many wins Wales need if they are to qualify for the next World Cup finals. "We have to beat Poland at the Millennium Stadium tomorrow and then we have to win our two remaining home qualifying games as well," said the 63-times capped star. "It has been frustrating the last four games. Since Mark (Hughes) has come in the improvement in the team and the confidence we have got is so high that it's disappointing we haven't won. "So it's important we do start winning and make that transition from being difficult to beat to actually winning games. It's desperately important we win on Saturday.

"The last four games we've been unbeaten. That's a good little run, but looking back it's disappointing we didn't win three of those games.

"So we realise now that every game is really important and we have to get something from Poland.

"But we are confident. We played very well in Poland and are the only team in the group to have taken any points off them so far.

"Paul Jones, our goalkeeper, said after the Poland trip that it had been the easiest game he'd had for Wales, which gives every indication of how well we did.

"If we can reproduce that form at home and get a goal, then we'll be happy. "To enable us to qualify from our group we want Poland to win every game from now on, apart from us."

Speed is delighted new faces are coming into the Wales line-up. He believes that will give manager Mark Hughes the determination to carry on as Wales boss and resist any approaches from Premiership clubs.

"It's excellent for Welsh football that fresh faces are arriving on the scene and hopefully the future is bright," said Speed.

"Mark is a young manager and hopefully we've got a situation where he can be in the job for as long ahead as you can see.

"We have a chance of real stability now with the Wales squad. "It would be a massive blow if he went. We feel that what we have achieved in a short space of time is only the beginning.

"We feel we are improving with every game, but we also know there are things we have to get better at.

"So we are in a bit of a transitional stage, but we know exactly what our aims are and another change of manager now would be disastrous. "It's up to the people in charge to keep him as long as possible.

"We've got a real opportunity here to take Welsh football forward for the next eight to ten years under Mark Hughes.

"The one thing you need at this level with such a small country as we have is stability. "If you've got that stability you can achieve anything. "But I'm sure Mark won't be rushing to leave the Welsh job."

Speed though does have a back up plan if Hughes did decide to leave - he'd like to be the boss himself.

The Welsh captain has played under some of the games greats. Howard Wilkinson at Leeds United, Bobby Robson at Newcastle United, and now Mark Hughes for Wales.

And the dynamic midfielder has admitted to picking up tips from all of them. "You learn different things from each one," said Speed. "I pick their brains if I get the chance.

"People like Joe Royale, Ruud Gullit and Kenny Dalglish all have their own qualities. "You try and absorb it, and I think one day I'd quite like to be able to use the stuff I've learnt."

Speed though also thinks his current boss wil one day be up there with the greats. "Mark's very astute on the game.

"He's very tactical, and whenever he points something out you automatically think, 'well yeah he's right there.'

"Maybe you've seen it but you haven't recognised it. "Well he recognises it and says well we've got to this a bit more or that a bit more. "He's a great student of the game," added Speed.

Speed himself recog nises that his playing days are coming to an end, and has taken steps to plan for the future. "Management is something I've thought about, i'm taking my coaching badge next summer.

"But i'm not ready for that yet, i've got some playing left in me. "Obviously though i want to stay in the game if i can."