West Brom boss calls on Adam Armstrong to make difference in promotion hunt

Armstrong, the last-gasp January loanee from Southampton, is eyeing a more regular rate of goals after not netting since his debut strike against Sheffield Wednesday.

The frontman was a Wembley play-off hero for the Saints last season and was billed as a huge coup when Mowbray persuaded the frontman to link up with him once again.

Armstrong has had chances to increase his Baggies tally in four games since. He was denied by Illan Meslier at Leeds last weekend and Mowbray is enthused that chances are dropping the frontman's way.

"I think he’s generally had chances in most games," Mowbray said. "The keeper smothered one at the weekend against Leeds.

"Strikers can hit really odd spells can't they where they just have to turn up and they score. I think if he wasn’t getting any chances, I’d be thinking about playing him off the left or playing him off the right and getting Will (Lankshear) on the pitch or giving Daryl (Dike) some more game time but I think, watching him in training, he just looks so sharp with the ball, shooting off both feet and looking ready and looking good.

"You have to put some stock into training as well and I think the players really respect the player he is.

"I thought he was really good at the weekend out of possession as well as in possession. He worked so hard at helping us win the ball back and denying them possession because generally Leeds build so slowly with their back two or back three depending whether the midfielder drops into the back line and I thought Adam really hurried them up and gave them some issues which allowed us to get more pressure on in midfield.

"He’d like to have scored another goal or two, of course, but I think as long as the chances are coming he’s fine. As long as he is working hard that’s fine and hopefully he plays a big part somewhere down the line this season as we roll along hopefully into the play offs and a Wembley appearance and a promotion."

The Baggies are one of 11 sides tightly packed eyeing a late play-off surge. Mowbray's men welcome QPR on Saturday.

Albion have had injury issues in the forward department this season. Twelve-goal top scorer Josh Maja has been sidelined since January and long-term absentee Daryl Dike only returned with a cameo recently and is easing his way in.

Teenager Will Lankshear was also recruited in January from Tottenham and has so far started once. Others, such as Karlan Grant, Grady Diangana and John Swift, have been used as deeper forwards.