Albion manager Tony Mowbray is considering a move for Livingston hot-shot Leigh Griffiths – but has played down his spying mission to watch Swindon star Simon Cox.

Mowbray could pursue a deal to sign 18-year-old Griffiths, after he spent two days training with the Baggies this week.

But the Hawthorns chief admits he is yet to see 31-goal Robins hitman Cox at his best.

Mowbray has been spotted twice watching Swindon after assistant boss Mark Venus saw the 21-year-old hit a hat-trick against Northampton earlier this season.

The manager said: “The day I went to see Simon Cox they got beat 1-0 by Leyton Orient and he didn’t influence the game very much.

“But there have been other games I have been to that people haven’t picked up upon. People are assuming Cox was the player I went to see. I went to see Leyton Orient at Swindon and there were a lot of other players on the pitch.

“I didn’t walk around with a big sticker on my head saying ‘Watching Simon Cox.’

“I went to watch Coventry versus Barnsley the other night. I am not watching anybody, I am just watching a game. If I have a free weekend I go to watch football.

“I understand Cox has scored a lot of goals and sometimes you have to go and look for yourself and see what you think.

“Was I impressed with him? Not on the day. But I don’t want anyone to write ‘Mowbray doesn’t fancy him’.

“On the day they got beat 1-0 and there weren’t many chances. Yet the game before, when a close member of my staff went to watch them against Northampton, he scored a hat-trick.”

The prolific Griffiths has now returned north of the border for the clash with Partick Thistle after two days at the Baggies’ training base.

But Mowbray has hinted he might follow up his interest, after midfielder Graham Dorrans made the same move nine months ago.

The Albion boss said: “The relationship between the two clubs has allowed Leigh to come down.

“We got Graham Dorrans from Livingston and he is showing he’s got the potential to be a decent footballer.

“I think Leigh is a young boy with potential. He has scored a few goals, 17 or 18 in 23 games, so he has just come down to train for a few days so we can have a look at him.

“He’s gone back now. He’s got a game for them and after discussions we will see whether we take it further.

“He is a young boy, an 18-year-old, who wouldn’t be coming here to go in our first team squad.

“If we did decide to take it any further, he would be a young player to compete with our young players.

“We’ve got some talented young striking options at our club in the likes of Chris Wood, ‘Pans’ (Lateef Elford-Alliyu), who is in the England set-up, and Saido (Berahino), who is in the England set-up as well.

“We’ve got some very talented footballers who play up front at the age of 16 or 17, so we will wait and see if we pursue this.”