Tony Pulis would love to be double booked

West Brom boss Tony Pulis is two wins away from being horribly double-booked. more

But Albion's fundraising head coach is happy to deal with the headache of a second FA Cup Final clashing with his latest charity event.

From May 25, Pulis is due to be in a rowing boat travelling from London to Paris in aid of Stoke's Donna Louise Children's Hospice. There is just one problem.

Should the Baggies beat Villa in the last eight of the Cup tomorrow and claim another win in the Wembley semi-final, the gruelling challenge will come just as his side are preparing for the final.

"I'll have to look at it then," admitted Pulis. "I think it's happening during the week of the final. But I've not even looked - I can't look beyond Saturday.

"I am very superstitious so I don't like pre-planning. If we got to a Cup final then my responsibilities would be with this club."

However, Pulis is already deep into training for his next charity adventure having already cycled from John O'Groats to Land's End and scaled the dizzy heights of Mount Kilimanjaro for the hospice.

And he is starting early to combine his preparations with plotting the Baggies' FA Cup adventure and their quest for Premier League safety.

"The speedo's getting quicker on the rowing machine, even for an old man like me," he joked. "I was in the gym at 7 yesterday morning, and I'll be there again tomorrow.

"I'll doing my damnedest to try to get myself fit for that. It'll be tough."

The Tower To Tower Rowing Challenge will see a team of 24 rowers tackle the tidal effects of the River Thames, followed by a 36-hour Channel crossing to the mouth of the River Seine and a further 200-mile row against the tides to Paris.

Branded the "Everest of open-water rowing", the journey will take six days and six nights and will run from May 25 until June 1, with the Cup Final taking place at Wembley on May 30.

First, though, Pulis has a derby to plan for just five days after his side suffered last-gasp heartbreak in the Premier League clash at Villa Park.

That defeat left his players fuming, but Pulis says they need no extra motivation to reach a Wembley semi-final.

"I don't need to pin anything up in the changing room," he said. "We've got a good group of lads here and they will want to win the game as much as Villa will want to win the game.

"We started poorly on Tuesday and we gave Villa the impetus to control the game.

"The best thing that happened in the first half was the half-time whistle because that gave is a chance to shake it all down and start again.

"We were better in the second half and it was a massive disappointment. I have great respect for every club and every team.

"From the third round right the way through to tomorrow, and every game we play in the Premier League, the FA Cup or anything else, I have total respect for, for the people there and the supporters.

"I never underestimate anyone. I've been in the game too long to do that. We know it will be a tough game and we know there is a lot at stake.

"We have one or two injuries that we're concerned about and one or two people who are carrying knocks and have been for the last few games so we're going to have to address that and go from there.

"I don't think we need any motivation. It's a local derby, it's the quarter-final of the FA Cup and it's absolutely wonderful that we've got to this stage.

"These are big games that everybody should look forward to and we will certainly be looking forward to it."