West Brom man ready for the play-off push pressure cooker

Albion face a huge run of fixtures on the other side of the international break where Tony Mowbray's men tackle five consecutive opponents currently 13th or above - including three of the current top eight.

Price is one of four Baggies players currently away on international duty. The Northern Ireland man has made a big impression since his £2.5million move from Standard Liege in Belgium in January. 

The handful of Championship fixtures are likely to decide Albion's fate in the hunt for a top-six place and the opportunity for Premier League promotion.

Inconsistency has been an issue for the Baggies this season but they have kept hold of a top-six position for much of the campaign. With eight fixtures left after the current break it appears four sides including Albion are vying for the two final play-off positions - but that picture could change with rivals going head-to-head.

The top three - Leeds, Sheffield United and Burnley - have a significant cushion above the rest and fourth-placed Sunderland are 10 points clear of rivals below.

Coventry, Albion, Bristol City and Middlesbrough are separated by five points from fifth to eighth. Others are not much further back.

Mowbray's men resume league action at Norwich on Saturday week. The Canaries are a disappointing 13th and performing below expectations of a well-fancied squad, including two of the division's hottest attackers in Josh Sargent and Borja Sainz. 

Price tackled the prospect in bullish fashion, though. He said “I think as a player you look forward to the games that mean a lot and there are matches where there’s more pressure.

“I think all footballers thrive on those and you want to be playing in those games to help the team and make the difference in them.

“We will be looking forward to those games.

“We had three games this week and with 10 men against QPR in the first, we did well to get a point.

“We did well to go to Burnley and get a point because it’s never an easy game there, but against Hull we were looking for the three points and it didn’t happen.

“So maybe the break has come at a good time so we can regroup and give it a final push in these last few games."

Midfielder Price, 21, was last night in line to win a 19th international cap for Northern Ireland in a friendly against Switzerland in Belfast.

He is no stranger to finding the back of the net for his nation and netted a remarkable hat-trick from midfield against Bulgaria earlier this season. Price has been hailed as a model signing for the club's new Bilkul ownership regime.

He marked the 1-1 draw against Hull with a first Baggies goal with a fine volley. The versatile former Everton youngster is already popular among the Albion faithful, who quickly designed a chant in his name.

“I appreciate the support from the fans – as a player, it’s the best thing when you know the fans are on your side and they want you to do well, so I’m really grateful for that and I’m loving playing here," he said.

“I just want to keep winning games, stay in that top six so we get into the play-offs and push for promotion."