Gareth Barry targets another unbeaten run at West Brom

A 2-1 loss at Blackburn saw the Baggies taste defeat for the first time in nine Championship outings on New Year's Day.

But they responded to that loss by beating Wigan in the FA Cup last weekend.

Now their focus shifts back to the league with second-placed Norwich visiting the Hawthorns on Saturday.

Barry was recently crowned Coral's Player of the Month for a string of superb showings towards the end of 2018.

But while he admits it's nice to get individual awards, the midfielder says they only matter if the team is winning games.

“It’s always nice to be recognised for performances, but it’s even better when the team is winning on the back of them,” Barry said.

“You’re going to need runs like the one in December if you want to finish in the top two positions. We’ll need two or three of those sorts of runs throughout the campaign.

“After our last game in the league, we need to bounce back and try and start another run like it. It’s going to be important to start that at the weekend straight away.”

Darren Moore’s side came out on top in the seven-goal thriller between Albion and Norwich at Carrow Road earlier this season.

And while he didn't play in that match, Barry says he knows what to expect from the Canaries.

“We’re expecting a really tough game,” he continued.

“The one we played away, I wasn't there but I saw the highlights - it was end-to-end and could have gone either way that day.

“I think they’ve surprised a few people with their performances. We’ll need to be on our game to win it.”

After a glittering Premier League career, Barry is now playing in the Championship for the first time. But the midfielder is enjoying life in the second tier.

"I have experienced a lot of football in the Premier League but the lads that had played in the Championship let me know what it was going to be like," Barry added.

"It is relentless, there are a lot of games. But from the outset, I have tried to enjoy it and that leads to you playing better football."