Tony Mowbray confident clean sheets and consistency are matter of time at West Brom

The Baggies have taken just seven points from six matches and are yet to record a shutout since Mowbray took charge for the second time. 

But the boss believes the absence of Kyle Bartley through suspension has been a big factor and believes things will improve, at least at the back, when the 33-year-old returns after this Saturday’s visit of Oxford United. 

Mowbray said: "Every coach is disappointed when you lose goals, but we're not losing bags and bags of goals, we're not getting thumped by anybody.

"Against Blackburn we lost two goals, one was a set-play, it's a little bit frustrating. But get Bartley back from his suspension and they will stop straight away in my opinion.

"I think we've got enough talent to win football matches, enough firepower to score goals, I think. We will be a threat to most teams.

"I'm waiting, looking at the squad, to pick the team I think can win game after game after game. 

“We haven't won back-to-back games since September, I believe that's coming around the corner and I'm sure the first clean sheets under me are coming when we can put the right players on the pitch with the right desire."

Albion welcomed back Semi Ajayi for his first match since October in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Millwall and though content with the Nigeria international’s overall performance, he expressed some frustration at the manner of Jake Cooper’s opener for the hosts.

Mowbray explained: "I want Semi to take responsibility if he's the main header of the ball. “You could argue Heggem is decent with his physicality. I didn't like the second phase with the six foot whatever big Cooper is, why our most dominant headerer isn't focusing where the ball is going to go. 

"Again, I played the position for 20 years. Where's the threat? Where's the danger? Go and head the damn ball out of the box, that's your job. There was a frustration there.

"But I think overall he was steady, good. He's got a hugely different personality to Bartley, who also needs to be the dominant player and generally is when he's on the pitch.

"Semi's not so vocally dominant but he has the physical attributes to get the job done.”