Tony Pulis bans Wembley chat at Hawthorns

Tony Pulis has banned all talk of Wembley at Albion as he attempts to keep his players focused on their Premier League survival mission.

Pulis has ordered players and staff not to discuss their FA Cup adventure which has now taken them to a mouth-watering quarter-final against Villa.

The local rivals will meet in the second weekend of March for a place in a Wembley semi-final.

But, despite the tie capturing the imagination of both sets of fans, Pulis is adamant it cannot be allowed to distract his side from their main aim of staying in the top flight.

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The Baggies claimed back-to-back Hawthorns wins last week, beating Swansea 2-0 in the Premier League to give their hopes of staying up a major boost before thrashing West Ham 4-0 to reach the last eight of the FA Cup for the first time in 2008, when they went on to make the semi-finals.

But Pulis is keen to eliminate the risk of complacency and has therefore slapped a ban on any talk at the club of the eagerly-awaiting Cup meeting with Villa.

The Baggies face three crucial Premier League fixtures before they travel to Villa Park in the Cup.

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They head for Sunderland on Saturday then host Southampton on February 28 before facing Villa at Villa Park in the league on March 2, just days before the Cup clash.

Pulis has lifted the mood at The Hawthorns since his arrival in January, losing just one of his eight matches in charge in all competitions.

But he maintains keeping the Baggies up remains the toughest test of his managerial career, especially after deals to sign defender Marcus Olsson and striker Carlton Cole collapsed in the final hours of the January transfer window.

They have 13 games remaining to save their Premier League lives but their final five fixtures include meetings with Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, meaning they have an urgent need for points from their next half-dozen matches.