West Brom v Rotherham: Momentum is key, but James Shan won’t take risks

It would be pointless to claim tomorrow’s visit of Rotherham carries the same importance for the hosts as the following fixture at The Hawthorns, which will likely see the Baggies host rivals Villa in a battle to reach Wembley.

Neither is it a game which can be overlooked as Shan continues to face a balancing act between extending his own impressive record as caretaker boss and ensuring his players hit the play-offs in peak condition.

That meeting with Villa isn’t yet set in stone. Albion still have a chance of pipping Leeds to third spot and it is not inconceivable victory could extend the opportunity to the final day of the season, with Villa set to visit Elland Road on Sunday aiming for an 11th straight win.

Regardless of potential opponents, hanging on to fourth spot would ensure the Baggies are at home for the second leg of the play-off semi-final. A win tomorrow would mean Villa having to win both of their remaining two games in order to overtake Shan’s men. Excitement might be building, but the caretaker boss will do his best to block out the noise.

“I think we just look at ourselves, it’s about creating momentum,” he said. “You can build that in different ways, through wins, through performances.

“We’ve got to keep building, we’ve got Rotherham and Derby left, we’ll see where we finish and we’ll have an idea of who we’re facing. It’s about us cementing what we do both with and without the ball, making sure we are as tactically together as we possibly can be for that play-off charge.”

Selections for the Easter weekend double bill confirmed Shan is not about to take any undue risks with players who might be carrying slight knocks, or simply be in need of a rest after a long and bruising campaign.

Jake Livermore did not not make it onto the pitch during either the 3-2 win over Hull or Monday’s 0-0 draw at Reading, though Shan later confirmed the midfielder could have played if really needed.

Ahmed Hegazi, meanwhile, was substituted after just 18 minutes against the Tigers due to an ankle problem.

A return tomorrow is questionable, though Shan also knows the Egyptian international’s aerial ability could be important against a Millers team who often go direct and in Will Vaulks possess one of the division’s best long-throw proponents.

Tomorrow is just the 13th competitive meeting between the clubs, with Albion only having tasted defeat once.

A Dwight Gayle hat-trick helped them record a 4-0 win at The New York Stadium back in December.

Shan, meanwhile, is looking to extend a perfect home record since taking the reins from Darren Moore last month, having won all four games at The Hawthorns.

Likely line-up:

The boss says:

It’s about creating momentum. You can build that in different ways, through wins, through performances. We’ve got to keep building.

Memory lane:

Simon Cox scored a 116th-minute winner as the Baggies needed extra-time to beat the Millers 4-3 in a thrilling League Cup second round tie in August 2009.

Key man:

Dwight Gayle, who scored a hat-trick in the 4-0 win at Rotherham back in December, has scored six goals in his last three matches at The Hawthorns.