Coventry v WBA - Lewis Cox preview

Express & Star

16/04/2025

Transcript

00:01Baggish fans, hello. Welcome to ExpressingStar.com.

00:04Albion reporter Lewis Cox here, and thankfully the rain has disappeared from earlier.

00:09When I pulled up here before the press conference, it was raining.

00:12So I did fear for the old video in the trusty background, but fear not.

00:16Since we spoke to Torbjorn Heggen actually today, the player of the season award winner this week,

00:22and Tony Mowbray, the sun has emerged happily.

00:25But enough about the weather, because there is news on the back of Tony Mowbray's pre-Coventry City press conference,

00:32and the news is, well there's a bit of news, but the main news, which has just been published on our website,

00:38and you can read now, I'm sure you have, is that defender Carr Bartley,

00:41the club's experienced vice-captain defender, has triggered an appearance-related clause in his contract

00:47to sign and agree and extend a further 12 months at the club.

00:51Bartley, as we know, has been here since 2018, a good long time now.

00:55He's a big presence, big leader among the group.

00:59And he's clocked up a fair few games, I think it's 220, or certainly north of 200 league appearances alone.

01:06And Tony Mowbray revealed the news to me in the press conference there,

01:09when I asked about the status of Bartley, obviously the deal he was on expired in the summer,

01:16but for that clause.

01:17And he has played 27 games this season, which says to me, I will check this,

01:22but it says to me the clause was at 25 games.

01:24That is a general number, I think 25 or maybe 30 for a player of Bartley's age.

01:30He's 33 turning 34 next month, so the one-year deal last year was quite a smart one really,

01:37because it incentivised as in, if he can show physically he can play that number of games,

01:43then he will be rewarded, obviously, with an extra 12 months.

01:46And he has, look, he's played 27 games this season, missed a few through suspensions

01:51and the one or two earlier in the season.

01:53He does, you know, with his age, the club do manage his physical condition with his knee.

01:58He had a bit of minor surgery, I think, earlier in this calendar year, actually, on that.

02:03And when it comes to Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, he doesn't always, you know,

02:06can't always play each one of those in a three-game week.

02:09But no, I think, and again, you can read the quotes from Tony Mowbray on our website,

02:13I agree with the head coach in that, I think it's good news.

02:15And Mowbray actually, as said, he's actually been impressed with Bartley's physicality

02:21when it comes to speed, really.

02:23You know, one-on-ones, he can cope with pacey players in the division still,

02:27despite his ageing years.

02:29So, good for Bartley, really.

02:30I think it's an important part of business for the summer.

02:33The players will leave, there will be another turnover,

02:36but to keep a bit of that core, a bit of that experience and know-how

02:40and trusted leadership voice is important, I think, for the summer.

02:44So, a bit of news there.

02:46A bit of early summer contract talk news, really.

02:49There are other, you know, first-team players, Shemi Ajayi, a fellow defender,

02:52the likes of John Swift, Grady and Ian Garner,

02:54who are big players who are out of contract this summer.

02:56And I guess, you know, decisions, if they haven't already been made,

03:00you know, on those players who have been inconsistent,

03:03have been, in Ajayi's case, unavailable.

03:06But in Swift and Ian Garner's case, you know, we've spoke about them at length

03:09before on the podcast and stuff.

03:11You know, it feels unlikely, really, that they will extend their time at the club.

03:15But, you know, news on that will, of course, come in due course

03:18with four games of the season left to play.

03:20And that starts at Coventry on Friday, on Good Friday, for what is it?

03:24Just a huge clash.

03:25That's obviously what we've been here to preview today.

03:28Sixth place Coventry against seventh place Albion.

03:30Three points separate Tony Mowbray's side from his former employers above Albion.

03:35And, of course, if the visitors at the CBS Arena secure a victory,

03:39they will leapfrog their hosts due to a better goal difference and go above Coventry.

03:44Which means a place in the top six, a place in the playoffs is in Albion's hands.

03:48You know, they can go and beat Coventry to get back to six after the recent slip.

03:51And then three games left.

03:53Three games against three of the current bottom four, by the way.

03:55Which may look easy, but will be by no means easy.

03:59Due to those three clubs, you know, Derby, Cardiff, Luton,

04:02scrapping for their absolute lives and existence in this division.

04:05So a lot to play for.

04:07Just to bring you to finish off this video, a bit of team news for Coventry.

04:11There's some positive news in the form of Jed Wallace, club captain winger.

04:16He'll be on the bench, Tony Mowbray has told us.

04:18He's trained for the best part of a week.

04:19Wallace has been missing for two and a bit months or so.

04:22And Mowbray said, you know, it's not until you see Wallace back in training,

04:26you realise the kind of the personality and character and attitude that has been,

04:32not lacking, but, you know, that he hasn't been able to bring in the time he's been away.

04:36And the quality he still has to boot, you know, Albin.

04:38I haven't necessarily had, you know, other natural right wing options

04:42to compete with Tom Fellows and stuff with, you know, with Wallace's absence.

04:48So, yeah, good that he's back to bring that competition and sort of experience

04:53and leadership for the running.

04:55Shemi Ajayi has training today.

04:57It's been a little while, been out for the best part of two months as well.

05:00Friday will come too soon for him.

05:02It's touch and go with the likes of Usman Diakite with Tamibani.

05:05They'll sort of see if they haven't trained yet.

05:07They'll see if they can tomorrow.

05:09That's Thursday for potentially giving them a chance for Friday.

05:13But maybe Monday against Derby is better for those pair.

05:15And I'll bring you a little video snippet exclusive on top scorer Josh Madger.

05:21Now, this story isn't going on our website until first thing Thursday morning.

05:26But if you've made it to the end of the video, well done.

05:29And Tony Mulberry's told me on Madger that today, I think for the first time,

05:32or certainly one of the first couple of occasions,

05:36Madger's been out on the grass, you know, in his sort of full kit,

05:39doing the running, the sprinting, the turns, the jumping.

05:43And that's the first time Mulberry has seen that.

05:45He's optimistic, really.

05:46And I think with four games left of the regular season and three games,

05:52there's a beat there, probably from one of the media lads at the club.

05:55So thanks for that.

05:57But yeah, with four games of the regular season left,

06:01three weeks of it left, if it doesn't go to playoffs, obviously,

06:04which Albion hope it does, there's a chance Madger could feature.

06:08Now, obviously, he's not in training yet, contact training, full training.

06:11But I don't sense off the back of that press conference that he's too long away.

06:15Really, maybe a week, maybe 10 days, I don't know.

06:18But as Mulberry said, and you can read tomorrow, Madger should be close.

06:22And really, if he's going to have a chance of playing in the last game,

06:25the last two games, maybe, it's now or never really,

06:28he has to return to training soon.

06:29So watch his space on that one.

06:31As ever, read more on the website.

06:32As ever, we'll be at, you know, I'll be at Coventry on Friday,

06:35bringing all of the updates from it.

06:37So get stuck into the preview.

06:39And obviously, I'll have all the reaction from Coventry.

06:41A sold-out CBS Arena.

06:42A huge six-pointer for the playoffs.

06:44Keep it at ExpressenStar.com.

Coventry v WBA - Lewis Cox preview

Category

Transcript

Recommended