Albion expect Hawthorns repeat

Tony Mowbray has put the Baggies on alert for a Hawthorns re-run for tomorrow's fourth v fifth crunch clash with Plymouth Argyle.

The Albion manager believes in-form Plymouth will mirror the game-plan Hull City employed to jolt his team's promotion challenge in last weekend's 2-1 defeat.

The Baggies are under pressure to get back to winning ways after just one win in their last six games and a slide to fourth on the Championship promotion ladder.

It's left the Hawthorns faithful panicking over a repeat of last season's "blow-up" when Albion had to settle for the promotion play-offs and lost at Wembley.

Mowbray dismisses that theory but admits his team must prove they can handle a repeat of the challenge Hull brought to The Hawthorns last weekend.

"I don't yet see any similarities with last season," said the Albion gaffer.

"The squad is different, the feel in the dressing room is different and the players have great confidence that it will be a great season for us.

"You don't want to allow a defeat at home to drag it down.

"We were disappointed with last week and we have to bounce back and I have great belief in the team that they will.

"But when I study the two teams there are huge similarities between Hull and Plymouth in the way they will come and defend, be very disciplined, play with two banks of four, counter attack and be strong on set-pieces. They have a very similar make-up.

"So we know before kick-off it will be a very difficult match.

"If we're winning 2-1 everything's rosy, if we're losing 2-1 everything's a disaster.

"Sat here now I'm pretty sure we'll have more of the ball and I'm pretty sure we will be attacking their goal more than they attack ours.

"I can't guarantee we'll win the match and we're very respectful of Plymouth.

"They've won four on the bounce and they'll be coming here confident but I'm pretty sure they won't play a team as positive or as technically good as our team this weekend."

The Pilgrims will be backed by a 1,500-plus army of followers who have watched Paul Sturrock's team collect 12 points out of a possible 15 during February to move fifth.

Mowbray is flush with options with all eyes particularly focusing on the front line where four prime strikers - Roman Bednar, Kevin Phillips, Ishmael Miller and now Luke Moore - are bidding for a start.

He has yet to finalise his line-up adds: "I sense a resolve, a determination - they know we are more than capable of making this a very good season."