Preview: Wigan v West Brom - Baggies get the engine fired up for next sprint

In between three long breaks for international duty, all the action is crammed into a short space of time.

For Albion fans, the fortnight just gone will have felt incredibly long.

Their team has kicked into gear recently, and thanks to a seven-match unbeaten run in the league, they are currently the deadliest side in English football.

Those supporters are desperate to see the fireworks, epitomised by the ferocity with which they snapped up their £30 tickets for the DW Stadium.

More than 4,000 Baggies could descend on Wigan tomorrow in the biggest away following in the league since a similar number went to the same ground more than six years ago.

Darren Moore's memories of this stadium are mixed. In January 2006, he was sent off away at Wigan, although the Baggies went on to win the game 1-0.

“It was my good friend Jason Roberts who I challenged!" recalled Moore. “I remember the game and I remember us winning 1-0.

“It was Martin Albrehsten – my replacement – who got the winner. So I look at it as a positive as I played a part in the win!

“It was two bookings. I thought the first one was a bit harsh. But the second one I took Robbo out and that was it!

“He laughs and giggles about it because we still look back on it from time to time. I just look at it as playing a part in picking up three points on that day!

"I say to Martin, if it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have got that goal."

Back to the present day, and things are going much more swimmingly for Moore.

The large following headed north tomorrow prompted Albion's head coach to send a personal message to each fan which began: ‘Dear supporter’.

It read: “Every single game in the Championship is a fresh test for us and I want you all to know just how important this magnificent support is to the players.

“When we walked out at Preston recently to see the fans massed in the one stand behind the goal gave the boys a tremendous psychological lift before a ball had been kicked.

“None of us take this support for granted.

“We know getting around the country and buying tickets home and away strains the family budget.

“To see you continuing to gather in such numbers, both at The Hawthorns and at the away venues, is greatly appreciated.”

It was a message which encapsulated the fledgling Moore era.

If another head coach had penned it, cynics would have questioned the motives, critics would have tried to unpick the hidden message.

But not Moore. There is a welcome sincerity to his words that is squeezing the best out of his players, and connecting with the fanbase.

Although the fans ached to see their team play again, for Moore, it was a welcome break.

Despite the results, the cracks had just started to show in a fatigued squad worn down by too many three-game weeks.

But Moore is expected to have a clean bill of health this weekend, with a welcome return to action for Matt Phillips.

Bakary Sako, who hasn’t played since January, may be fit enough for the bench.

But the starting XI is well-known by now and there will be no surprises.

“The chance for the players not involved in international football to enjoy a breather has been invaluable,” said Moore.

“But now we prepare once more to tackle the next phase of the Championship programme with five games in 15 days.”

Welcome to the starting line of the next drag race.

If Albion come through this one like they did the last, their promotion credentials will only grow.

Pie and a pint: The Marquee is a free-to-enter ‘away fans only’ bar at the DW Stadium and is located right outside the North Stand which accommodates visiting spectators.

Memory Lane: A certain Darren Moore was sent off in the first half, but Martin Albrechtsen scored the winner after the break as Albion won 1-0 at the Latics.

Key Man: Matt Phillips was an integral part of the team in the first 10 games, but missed the best part of a month. Will aim to pick straight back up on his return.

The opposition - Wigan

Nine games into the season and promoted Wigan Athletic were up in the dizzying heights of third place.

But three games later, and with no more goals to their name, Paul Cook’s surprise package have been gobbled up by the congested midfield.

Their last game was by far their worst result of the season, a shock 4-0 loss away at lowly Preston North End.

“It took quite a few days to get over Preston to be honest,” former Albion winger Callum McManaman told the Wigan Post.

“The whole place was down, the players were absolutely gutted.

“We know we let the fans down with the way we performed, we just didn’t play well enough.

“It wasn’t so much the result but the manner of the performance we served up.

“We know we have to recover from it and get it out of the system as quickly as possible.

“And I’ll be very, very surprised if that happens again all season, with the group of lads we’ve got here. The international break probably came at a good time for us, to draw a line under Preston and look to the rest of the season.

“We’ve got three games in a week starting this weekend, and the table could look a lot different after that.

“You saw the other week when we won two games in the space of three days and we shot up to third in the league.”

Wigan are unbeaten at home so far this season, having won four and drawn two at the DW Stadium.

Strong teams like Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City have all failed to win there.

Wigan’s strength lies in their team dynamic, but Albion assistant head coach Graeme Jones will be wary of McManaman, who won man of the match for Wigan when Jones and Roberto Martinez guided the Latics to the FA Cup.

The winger didn’t feature too much for the Baggies, although the man responsible for that has now left, and has already been given an earful, quite literally, by McManaman, who famously cupped his ear last season when he scored against Tony Pulis’s Middlesbrough.

“As long as Callum doesn’t play as well as he did at Wembley, I’d be delighted!” Jones said,.

“He’s such a special player, and you have to really understand him and what it takes to get that extra five per cent that makes him so special.

“You need to build him up. There was so much work that went into Callum – I’d say a good three or four years – to get the results we saw in the last 16 weeks of the season, which of course culminated in the FA Cup win.

“We’ll certainly be aware of his threat though – I’ll make sure we’re never less than four-on-one when he gets it!”