West Brom boost as Matt Phillips fit to face Ipswich
Matt Phillips could be unleashed on rock-bottom Ipswich Town this Saturday – after missing Albion’s humbling at Leeds United.
The midfielder missed seven weeks of action with an ankle injury before returning from the bench against QPR a fortnight ago.
He then started the home defeat to Sheffield United before being left out in the 4-0 defeat at Elland Road.
But head coach Darren Moore has been encouraged by his progress this week and said: “Matty is OK and he should be fine for Saturday.
“He has only recently returned from his ankle injury and we don’t want to push him too hard, too soon.”
However, left-back Kieran Gibbs remains a doubt as he recovers from a hip problem that also ruled him out of the Leeds encounter. Moore said he will remain ‘cautious’ with the former Arsenal player.
“We will have to keep an eye on him throughout the week,” said the head coach. “He has a slight hip problem. Hopefully he can make good progress but at the minute I’d have to rate him 50/50.
“We’d obviously like all our players available to us but this is football and it’s always better to be cautious with a player when they have a knock.”
Meanwhile, James Morrison has called on the Baggies fans to get behind the team as they seek to end a winless Championship run at The Hawthorns in 2019.
Bottom side Ipswich Town – managed by former Wolves boss Paul Lambert – visit on Saturday, with Morrison keen for ‘a special atmosphere’ to be created against the strugglers.
“It’s never easy when you’re one of the top teams in the league,” he said. “Teams come to spoil it and in recent years that’s what we’ve done in the Premier League, being hard to beat.
“The last few games of last year were all about momentum and everyone pushing in the same direction.
“The atmosphere and the mood about the place was brilliant and that’s what you need if you want to go on runs.
“I remember the Tottenham home game, I was there watching, and the atmosphere was probably one of the best I’ve seen at The Hawthorns. It was special.
“That’s what we’re trying to create, to get that atmosphere going, and hopefully towards the end of the season we’re in around it and that atmosphere and momentum can push us on.”
