'It always has been': Josh Griffiths' journey to becoming West Brom No.1

Griffiths has been with the club since the age of 10 and, now 23, feels a fully-established part of the first-team set-up.

He turns 24 in September but that is no age for a goalkeeper. Griffiths is a unique case, in many ways, in that he he has 19 first-team appearances for Albion but, despite his tender years, 165 senior games on his resume.

Griffiths finished last season between the sticks under, briefly, Tony Mowbray and then interim James Morrison. After a productive loan at Bristol Rovers he played the final six games starting at Bristol City - where a late Robins winner squirmed under his body - and the season ended with disappointment.

As things are here now and now, as Albion wrap up their week's training camp in Austria's Burgenland region, Griffiths could be seen as the No.1.

He would not admit as much, and neither probably will head coach Ryan Mason when he is asked. Out of respect, Griffiths would stress is ready to battle the main role out with Joe Wildsmith, the club's other senior goalkeeper. The more experienced Wildsmith, 29, was given his shot by Mowbray after the sale of Alex Palmer to Ipswich in January, but a change came after a couple of errors.

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Asked about how he sees the role, Griffiths told the Express & Star: "It's definitely the closest I've ever been personally yeah, I'm not against admitting that.

"I've played a lot of games and matured in my game. Of course it's in my sights, it always has been, I definitely want that spot. I'm willing to put the work in, have a good pre-season, at the end of the day it's down to the manager, I've got to try to do as much as I can."

Hereford-born Griffiths, whose loans since 2020 have included Cheltenham, Lincoln, Portsmouth and Rovers, added: "It's always been my goal. It was probably a long way off when I was 17 or 18 but yeah I see myself as a West Brom fan, I've been here for so long, I want the club to do well.

"When you are on each loan - my first loan we (Albion) were in the Premier League - you want them to do well. Now it's in touching distance. There is still work to do.

"Obviously I've experienced it for a few games in spells, but it will be a real privilege."

The end of last season was not the first time Griffiths has been propelled into the man between the sticks for Albion's first team.

Rewind two years to the latter part of the 2022/23 season and Griffiths, who had returned from half-a-season at Pompey, was introduced after an injury to Palmer. The youth graduate, just 21 at the time, was preferred to David Button by then-boss Carlos Corberan.

"That was so unexpected," Griffiths recalled of a debut in a home 1-1 draw against Blackburn, in which the visitors equalised late on. "Butts and Palms were here. It was a shock at the time on deadline day, I just thought I was coming back as a number three for Carlos to look at me.

"Palms got injured, I got put in the team eventually. That was a real change. Things happen so quickly and I was walking out for my debut at The Hawthorns against Blackburn. It was mad.

"I was still a very young goalie then. I've come a long way since then.

"I was definitely in a different mindset (at the end of last season). I'd had a couple of loans since then, I was just a bit more senior, more mature, felt content I was ready to take my chance and was buzzing to get into the team.

"There were no nerves, I was just excited and ready to play. That was a good place to be."

Griffiths is working with Albion's current goalkeeping union of Wildsmith and young duo Ben Cisse and Joe Wallis under coach Boaz Myhill, the former Baggies shot-stopper, in Austria.

Both he and Wildsmith are likely to play a part as Albion are put to the test by Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kyiv in a friendly at the training camp base in Bad Tatzmannsdorf on Friday (11am UK kick-off, with full updates available on the Express & Star website).

The goalkeeper is aiming to emulate what his former colleague and close friend Palmer achieved at The Hawthorns. Palmer, also an academy graduate, did not become a starting regular until he had turned 26. It was a long road for the now-Ipswich man and patience was a must.

Asked about the example of biding his time, Griffiths replied: "I was lucky enough to get a loan early on and half the battle is actually finding a loan. It's so hard for young goalkeepers to go out, especially in the Football League. So I was very privileged to have that Cheltenham loan and it went so well. So I sort've had a fast-track start.

"You look at people like Emi Martinez for example, they don't get the games until so late. I like to think goalkeepers only get better with age - obviously there comes a point where you get past it. But for me I look at it like there is quite a way to go in my career."