It could have been different for Craig Dawson

For most of the summer, it seemed likely that Craig Dawson would line up against West Brom tomorrow.

Instead, the centre-back will be a key figure for the Baggies when they take on the club he seemed certain to join.

A solid start to the season and a fabulous display in last weekend's win at Tottenham has confirmed Dawson as a first-choice pick for new Hawthorns head coach Alan Irvine, with the likes of Jonas Olsson left on the sidelines.

It is quite a turnaround in fortune for a man who submitted two transfer requests and who, Irvine admits, was preoccupied at the start of pre-season with his desire to sign for Burnley.

The Baggies turned down both transfer requests from the former England Under-21 international as well as three bids from the Clarets, who were desperate to take him back to his native north-west.

And Irvine admits he had to work hard to convince Dawson he had a future at Albion.

"We had a few conversations about him being keen to speak to Burnley and feeling he wasn't going to get his opportunity here," admitted Irvine.

"All I could say to him was: 'Trust me, if you are in the team and you play well, you will stay in the team.'

"I have looked him in the eye and told him that and I won't go back on that. But he has to play well.

"It's difficult to know exactly what happened before. But my feeling was he had perhaps been in the position where he got in the team, but as soon as one of the senior players were available they jumped straight back in.

"There comes a point for a young player where that isn't acceptable any more. I think Craig had kind of got to that point. All I could do was say to him: 'Play well, get in the team, stay in the team.'

"And I have been true to my word – as I will continue to be. He will only go out of the team if he is injured, suspended or if he doesn't play well.

"I think he feared in the past he was seen as a good lad to have around but he was always going to be the No 4 centre-back.

"Had it worked out that he got into the team and wasn't able to stay there, we may have felt differently. But I kept telling him it was up to him.

"He probably had a little bit of good fortune in pre-season in that Gareth McAuley and Joleon Lescott were both injured. That gave Craig a chance to play all the pre-season games.

"He wasn't great in all of them, but once we managed to settle him down and he realised he wasn't going anywhere and he was going to have a chance here, he settled in really well."

Irvine's appointment at The Hawthorns gave him the chance to coach Dawson, who moved to Albion from Rochdale having started his career in non-league football and been spotted by Dale playing for Radcliffe Borough in the north-west.

But the Baggies boss has revealed he was keen to work with the 24-year-old before, only for financial restrictions at one of his former clubs to scupper his plans.

"I knew him as a young player when he was at Rochdale and I went watching him when I was at Preston with a view to seeing if we could get him – but as usual we had no money at Preston," said Irvine.

"I felt as if he had lots of things to learn – and he still does, but he is learning quickly. He is another one who has a great attitude, he is a fantastic professional.

"It was a case of seeing if he was intelligent enough to pick up on the finer details. You look at a lot of young centre-backs and they are always at a stretch because they don't get in the right positions.

"Older centre-backs tend to be in the right place before the danger actually comes. He has had bits and pieces to learn but he is picking up very, very quickly.

"He has shown a good understanding. He is staying in the team and he has not made a mistake this season."