Express & Star

Nottingham Forest vs West Brom: Baggies face an early test of their character

Maybe it’s for the best that Albion don’t have too much time to dwell on Saturday’s defeat.

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Harvey Barnes of West Bromwich Albion celebrates (AMA)

Thanks to the scheduling of England’s upcoming cricket Test match with India at Trent Bridge – this game should have taken place a fortnight later but it clashed with the fourth day of the Test – the Baggies have to get back on the Championship horse almost immediately.

Three points at the City Ground against a Nottingham Forest side who are promotion hopefuls after spending big this summer, and that opening-day disappointment will be forgotten.

“That’s the great thing about the Championship,” said Saturday’s goalscorer Harvey Barnes.

“You’ve got a game in two or three days so you’ve got to put that one aside and look forward to that. The games come thick and fast. There’s a lot of room for improvement, but hopefully we can do that on Tuesday.”

Barnes was on loan at Barnsley last season, so he has experience of this division’s fixture clog.

And a trip to Forest has added spice for the Leicester loanee, who has been at the Reds’ East Midlands rivals since he was 10. “It would be nice to go there and take all three points,” he said. “It’s a little derby for Leicester so it would be nice to go there and win. The Championship is a real mixture. Some games go your way and some don’t.

“You come up against Bolton, who were a physical side and are going to kick it forward, then you come up against Derby or Stoke, who will try to play through you.

“Every week is different and you’ve got to adapt.”

Albion paid the price on Saturday for failing to break down an obdurate Bolton side who then sucker-punched them with two minutes to go. The Baggies needed a central creative force to pick the lock, and the game was crying out for James Morrison. It will be interesting to see whether Darren Moore turns to Albion’s longest-serving player tonight, but Forest are unlikely to sit back so much, particularly at home.

That could make Chris Brunt’s long-range diagonals to Matt Phillips more effective, and it could allow more space for the exciting Barnes to get in behind. The two wingers were Albion’s best players on Saturday, and giving them space to run into will prove key.

Barnes, who marked his debut with a stunner from his weaker left foot, is hoping to make more telling impacts in the final third.

“That’s what football’s about,” he said. “You don’t win games without scoring. If I can chip in with goals or if I can assist goals it’s going to be a big part of my game.”

But while it may be welcome to get out on the pitch again so soon after a defeat, having an extra game before the window shuts on Thursday is not ideal. Minds may be elsewhere just two days before the deadline, particularly for those players whose futures remain unresolved. How well Moore gets his team focused for tonight’s game will play a large part in whether the 2,000 travelling Baggies come home happy or not.

Likely line-up:

Albion (4-4-1-1): Johnstone, Nyom, Bartley, Hegazi, Gibbs, Phillips, Brunt (c), Livermore, Barnes, Morrison, Rodriguez.

Subs: Myhill, Adarabioyo, Townsend, Barry, Burke, Robson-Kanu, Gayle.

Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Pantilimon, Darikwa, Dawson, Fox, Osborn, Watson, Guedioura, Lolley, Carvalho, Goncalves, Murphy.

Subs: Pereira, Robinson, Colback, Smith, Cash, Dias, Grabban.

Pie and a pint:

The Southbank Bar serves southern American food as well as real ale, and has booths with private TV screens. All within walking distance of the City Ground.

Memory lane:

In November 2003, Albion beat Forest 3-0 at the City Ground thanks to a Jason Koumas brace and an own goal. They went on to win promotion that season.

Key man: Kyle Bartley

Things need to tighten up at the back and a commanding performance from Kyle Bartley early in the season will ingratiate him to the supporters.