West Brom are in the right shape to go distance

Following a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic, Albion resumed their quest to reach the Premier League by playing out a goalless draw with Blues on Saturday.

Prior to the season resuming, some Championship clubs had been critical of the June 20 restart date – with QPR and Sheffield Wednesday particularly vocal.

They felt – having started training a week later than Premier League sides – the second tier should have resumed on June 27 or later.

Furlong, though, has no worries about the hectic schedule. And he says that’s because the club’s backroom team has made sure all the players are in excellent shape for the run-in.

“Other teams can sit and wonder whether we should have come back two weeks later but not us,” Furlong said. “We are ready. The boys worked really hard when we were off.

“We have been preprepared really well by the strength and conditioning team.

“Whether it was when we were working at home or when we came back in. We are all ready to go.

“When we were at home there were times when you’re thinking are we going to play again?

“What are they doing to do with the league if we don’t play again?

“But the staff made sure we always had it in our minds that we were coming back – regardless of what might have happened.

“They did everything they could to prepare us. They deserve a lot of credit.”

As well as being in excellent shape, Furlong believes the strength of Albion’s squad will also help with the cope with the relentlessness of the run-in.

“We have got a really strong squad,” the defender continued. “We’ve got a lot of quality and a lot of numbers – players are there and ready to help out the team.

“Whoever is picked is ready to go – 100 per cent.

“We have got such a strong squad that anyone can go out there and do the job.”

Snapped up from QPR last summer, Furlong made his first Championship start since January against Blues.

And he admitted he was delighted to help his side secure a clean sheet on his return.

“I’ve missed playing. I’ve really missed it,” Furlong added. “We want to build on that performance now.

“Slaven said he was proud of us, just that the result wasn’t there

“But the first one back was always going to be difficult. We got a clean sheet and we need to get clean sheets because that gives the front boys the chance to do what do without the need to be scoring three or four.”