West Brom's Kyle Bartley is still wary of the chasing pack
Albion defender Kyle Bartley is taking one game at a time ahead of the busy festive schedule as his side prepare to host Brentford.
The Baggies still sit top of the tree in the Championship, with a two-point gap over second-placed Leeds.
Slaven Bilic’s side are coming off the back of a 3-2 comeback win away to Birmingham and face another tough test in Brentford tomorrow.
The Bees have won three of their last four Championship games, including a 7-0 thrashing of Luton. They sit fourth in the league and have lost eight games this season, compared to Albion’s one.
It’ll be the first time that midfielder Romaine Sawyers has faced his former club since joining the Baggies in the summer and centre-back Bartley insists Albion must take each game as it comes.
“They’re (Brentford) doing very well at the moment,” he said.
“We just keep taking it one game at a time and try to concentrate on ourselves.
“Hopefully Romaine (Sawyers) can try to score a goal for once and we can nick three points!
“I think if you look at the table, there are still seven or eight teams where one of them could come out of the pack and chase us down. We saw Aston Villa last year go on a great run in the second half of the season, I think Fulham did it the year before.
“So it happens, every season. All we can do it concentrate on our next game.”
Despite picking up four points in their last two games, away at Wigan and Birmingham, Albion have hit some sort of stumbling block with below-par performances.
But the team has still consistently picked up points and Bartley says the team are not taking anything for granted as they aim to fight off complacency.
“Certainly in our last two games we’ve been below the standards that we’ve set in our previous 20 games,” Bartley said.
“Luckily enough we’ve managed to get four points which is a good return from two away games.
“We spoke after the games and you can’t take anything for granted. There’s a long way to go and we need to keep pushing.
“We need to keep raising the bar and get as many points as possible. I don’t think there’s any sign that we’ve become complacent or anything like that.
“Training is just as sharp and as intense as it has been all season.”
Albion’s squad have an average age of 26, with veterans such as Gareth Barry and Chris Brunt complimented with young talents like Grady Diangana and Kyle Edwards.
And it’s that blend of experience that’s key for Bartley.
“We’ve got a great bunch of lads. Experienced, young, they all know the importance of doing things properly and with the right attitude,” he said.
“That’s the message that is spread across the dressing room every single day.
“I think sometimes you have games where people just don’t perform to the level you have been, some things go against you but we’ve shown grit and determination to come out of both those games in losing situations without losing either of them.”
Following the Brentford game, Albion face struggling sides Barnsley and Middlesbrough before facing off with promotion rivals Leeds.
The Yorkshire side are the only team to beat the Baggies, with a Bartley own goal deciding the game at Elland Road.
And the defender says the team are looking forward to the New Year’s Day reverse fixture as they look for revenge.
“They’re a great team,” he added. “They’re obviously the only team to have beaten us this season.
“That’s a bit of a bitter pill to take, but we play them again on the first (of January) so that’ll be a good game.
“I’m sure the lads are looking forward to it.
“As I say, we’re taking it one game at a time but I’m sure the lads will have that game in the back of their minds.”
