Albion winger Jerome Thomas is targeting bragging rights over former team-mate Frankie Simek when the Baggies face Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Thomas will come face to face with Owls right-back Simek, who is a fellow graduate of Arsenal’s youth academy.

And Thomas, who will be in direct competition with Simek at Hillsborough, said: “He was at Arsenal with me but he is a few years younger than me. I remember him being there and I will have to give him a torrid time on Saturday.

“There were no famous battles with him but it is all about individual battles.

“I know when I go out on a Saturday I have to win my battle against the right back. That’s how I look at it, and if every one of our team wins his battle against his opponent that will help us win. You have to go into each game looking to win your individual battle.

“The Championship is a hard league. We know that and we have seen it in recent years. If you can put together a few wins you can see what a difference it makes in the league table.

“Saturday was our third win back-to-back and that’s what we need to keep doing home and away.”