West Brom making up some lost minutes
Albion yesterday played an intra-squad training game to help players build match fitness following the postponement of Tuesday’s friendly at Walsall.
The clash with the Saddlers would have been the Baggies’ penultimate warm-up before the Championship season begins next week but was called-off when heavy rain showers waterlogged the Banks’s Stadium pitch.
Albion’s squad had not left their Great Barr training ground when the decision to postpone was made just under two hours before the scheduled 7.30pm kick-off.
The Baggies held an extra training session on the night with the internal training game then scheduled for yesterday lunchtime.
Though clearly not ideal, boss Valerien Ismael and his coaching staff are confident the postponement of Tuesday’s match has not caused major disruption to preparations for the season opener at Bournemouth a week tomorrow.
The majority of players had been scheduled to play just 45 minutes at the Banks’s, with only a handful featuring for an hour.
Albion play their final pre-season friendly at Blues on Saturday. The club yesterday confirmed the 3,500 supporters who bought a ticket for the match at the Banks’s will be issued with a full refund.
Villa’s players also played an intra-squad match yesterday after their planned friendly against Nottingham Forest was postponed due to a small number of positive Covid-19 tests at the Championship club.
The teams had been due to meet at Bodymoor Heath in a behind closed doors encounter but after discussions between the clubs it was decided Forest should not travel, in order to avoid the risk of further spread.
Supporters who had paid £4.99 to watch an online stream of the match will be contacted in due course about refund options.
“Unfortunately this was the only decision that could be made in the circumstances to protect the welfare of players and staff at both clubs,” said Forest boss Chris Hughton.
“I would like to personally thank Dean Smith and Aston Villa for their understanding on the matter and wish them all the best for their forthcoming Premier League season.”
Villa will continue their pre-season programme away at Bristol City on Saturday, before hosting Sevilla on August 7.
Dean Smith’s men kick-off their Premier League campaign a week later at Watford.
