West Brom starlet Rekeem Harper believes in calm-head Chris Brunt

Harper, 19, has been playing alongside Brunt, 34, in central midfield over the past few weeks as the Baggies gear up for a promotion push.

The two may be at either end of their careers but Harper believes his captain, with more than 400 appearances in Baggies colours, will be a crucially calming influence during the nerve-shredding games.

“Brunty is a vastly experienced player as well as some of the other lads,” said Harper. “It is always good to have experienced bodies so they can keep everyone’s heads right. They are people who know how to manage games in the play-offs which will be good for us.”

Harper stated his claim for a starting spot in the play-offs last week with a match-winning goal and dynamic second-half performance against Rotherham.

Caretaker boss Jimmy Shan has plenty of options in midfield, but Harper believes competition will just spur the team on.

“There is a lot of high quality in the team,” he said. “There are no weaknesses so everyone pushes each other and, if someone is not on the ball, then someone else will step up. It just keeps everyone on their toes.”

Albion have known for some time their season rests on the play-offs, but Harper doesn’t believe their intensity has dropped in recent weeks.

The Baggies travel to Pride Park this weekend after winning 10 points out of a possible 12.

“We’ve got quite a down to earth team so we always try to get each other going and keep each other pushing on,” he said.

“We keep giving our best as a team and, if it is not working for us, we will still keep pushing.”

The thoughts of the fanbase are naturally turning towards the two-legged semi-final looming after this weekend, but Harper insists the team are focused on the final game of the regular season.

“We are just preparing for Derby now,” he said. “We are training hard and looking to get the three points to finish the season strongly.”