Lewis Cox provides West Brom positive injury update ahead of QPR clash

Express & Star

Lewis Cox brings you all the latest news to come from Tony Mowbray's pre-match press conference as Albion prepare to host QPR. The Baggies will be looking to back up their point at Leeds - as the race for the Championship play-offs hots up. Elsewhere, Lewis discusses what he asked Mowbray regarding out of contract players in the summer.

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon, Baggies fans. Lewis Cox here, The Albion Reporter. I'm at Albion's training

00:05ground where we've just finished up Thursday afternoon with head coach Tony Mulbray ahead

00:09of the pre-match press conference, sorry, ahead of Saturday's visit of mid-table QPR,

00:1414th place QPR actually. We're right on the coattails of that cluster of clubs in the

00:18Championship looking to make a late charge for the top six, obviously Albion sixth, so

00:24looking to defend that position. There really is, how many clubs is that? Eight, nine probably

00:28that feel they can make a late run. Maybe QPR are strong outsiders really in 14th as

00:34we say and probably feel like they may have left it late, may not have enough, but really

00:37a consistent run of wins, of positive results could do that. Look at Coventry the last eight,

00:43ten, twelve games maybe and how they've made up ground. So, much to play for. Just in terms

00:49of any breaking immediate news from the press conference in terms of team news, there isn't

00:54many really. Tony Mulbray said there that a couple of knocks and niggles and a bit of

00:59illness this week, but nothing serious enough to rule anyone fresh out of Saturday's visit

01:04of the Ars, which is good news. Albion's fitness list, injury list at the moment, it just contains

01:10long-term absentees really. You've got top scorer Josh Madger, he's been out since January.

01:15You've got club captain Jed Wallace, been sidelined since that draw at Millwall not

01:20so long ago and Shemmy Ojoie obviously picked up a bad new fresh hamstring one recently,

01:24didn't he? So, those three still out of contention. The good news really in relation to all of

01:30those is that they're due and forecast back before the end of the season. They're all

01:33expected to play football again this season and each in their own way I think can come

01:38in as a late boost to Albion's play-off push. We are on the eve of a first international

01:44break in a little while. That comes on Saturday week, obviously home to QPR up first as I

01:48mentioned. Then it's a midweek trip and a very difficult one at that to promotion contenders

01:54Burnley at Turf Moor on Tuesday. Now, we know all about their very mean defensive record

01:58under Scott Parker this season and that's at Turf Moor on Tuesday night as I mentioned.

02:03And then a home game against Lowley Hall just to round off a three-game week. The first

02:07three-game week for a little while actually, just going into the international break and

02:11Tony Mowbray was asked about that today. He said, how can the squad handle that? Do you

02:16make targets for such a week before the break? And he said, look, we've got to focus really

02:21on Saturday, get QPR out of the way, ideally pick up the victory Albion want to do at home

02:27against opponents of that calibre and then see who's ready, who can go again for a Tuesday

02:32night up in Burnley for a three-game week. It will be a challenge to the squad, but we

02:36know the squad's there really. Look at the bench last time out, there's a beep from a

02:40member of the Albion squad there who I can't actually see who that was, but appreciate

02:45them beeping. This is the second take of this video, so I appreciate that beep coming

02:50in. But yeah, what was I saying? Yeah, a three-game week will be a challenge to the squad. We

02:54saw it at Leeds last weekend. Just the strength Tony Mowbray had to call on really and his

03:00bench behind him and that certainly attacking talent, those looking to get involved, looking

03:05to get more starts. So perhaps it could be a week for those. So we'll see in that regard.

03:11But yeah, QPR, obviously Marti Cifuentes, a Spanish head coach, comes down to the Hawthorne.

03:16He's got a big reputation, hasn't he? They've had a strange season. They went almost to

03:20the end of November, QPR, before that first league victory, which is crazy really. And

03:25they were at the foot of the table, weren't they? Obviously they started slow with a home

03:29defeat to the Baggies on the first day, obviously that Josh Madger hat-trick, but he won't be

03:33involved sadly. Got a lot to bring you from that press conference. A lot of stuff I can't

03:38mention yet for Embargoes. I asked about contracts come the end of the season. Josh

03:42Madger, sorry, Dale Dekay was asked about. We had Hagerm asked about. We had the goalkeeping

03:47situation asked about. So a lot to get stuck into. I've got to go and write it all up now.

03:51So I'll bring you that as soon as possible. A little flavour in this video. But yeah,

03:54keep your eyes peeled over the website over the next few hours, the coming day or two

03:58before the game. And obviously we'll be at the Hawthorne on Saturday to bring you all

04:03the action, all the reaction. You know where to keep tuned in, expressthestar.com prior

04:07to that one.

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