West Brom Preview

By: Jostein Jensen
Date: 15/04/2001

WBA have many injuries but impressed on Saturday 7th April when they drew 0-0 away to Fulham. They are still in the Play Off fight and will not take it easy on a struggling Grimsby team.Grimsby players bought from the Midlands club will be looking to playing against their old club.

Paul Groves, Paul Raven, Stacy Coldicott, David Smith and Kevin Donovan have all played for the Baggies when former Grimsby manager Alan Buckley was boss at the Hawthorns but there are none of the former Grimsby players left in the West Brom side. Only the former Manchester United midfielder Michael Appleton who had a short loan spell in Grimsby several seasons ago is to be found at the Hawthorns.

WBA meets Burnley away on Saturday, while Grimsby welcomes Watford. Grimsby have played well lately, and had before the Watford match only let in 5 goals in the five last league matches. The defence has been great and skipper Paul Groves was also in the first division team of the week after his performance against Tranmere.

And in goal, a steady Danny Coyne has made it sour for every striker this season. Biggest concern for Grimsby boss Lennie Lawrence is believed to be on the two striker roles. Steve Livingstone is likely to start but who should play alongside the big striker is not known yet.

Probably Lennie will use Michael Jeffrey, but the young on loan striker Luke Cornwall from Fulham has shown some good skills lately. West Brom showed against Fulham that they have a solid defence; Neil Clement was on team of the week after his performance at Craven Cottage.

Midfielder Derek McInnes is out for the season after knee surgery, the former Rangers player will now think about next season as his knee ligament injury has stopped all his dreams about playing in the Play Off's with WBA. Centre back Matt Carbon suffers with a sore calf but former Norwich, Newcastle and Tottenham star Ruel Fox is now fit again after being out with a hamstring injury.

The former winger has now got a free role in WBA and is also the team's skipper. Jordao got a knock on his foot last weekend against Fulham and it was feared that it was broken but now it seems that he will be available towards the end of the season. The foot is still badly bruised and the Grimsby match will maybe come too early for the Portugese midfielder.

Grimsby have to look out for the striker duo Bob Taylor and Lee Hughes who always makes trouble for a defence. Lee Hughes has scored 20 league goals this season and that is almost three times more than Grimsby's Livingstone who stands with 7 so far. The Birmingham born striker has scored 77 league goals for his team since he joined them in the summer of 1997, a goal rate that has impressed Premier sides amongst them Everton who are likely to make a bid for Lee in the summer.

It is reported from West Brom that they will have a look at the former Grimsby forward Nicky Southall in the summer. The Gillingham player is out of contract with his team in the summer and Gills chairman, Paul Scally, has now allowed him to talk with another unnamed club believed to be either WBA, Bolton, Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley who earlier had shown interest. "I told Nicky's agent last week not to wait until the end of the season and I have given him permission to talk to a club, but it wouldn't be fair to Nicky or the club to name them," said Scally.

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