West Brom star now a major doubt to face Cardiff after problem in training.
West Bromwich Albion are now without a win in five after being held to a goalless draw by Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Wednesday night. Carlos Corberan’s side had the better of the chances on the night, but were unable to convert any of their nine shots, with Rovers’ stopper Aynsley Pears saving efforts from Jayson Molumby, Karlan Grant and Alex Mowatt.
The result means the Baggies remain fourth in the Sky Bet Championship, three points behind third placed Leeds United and seven behind leaders Sunderland. Corberan said after the draw that he felt his side deserved more.
“Of course, the draw is not the result we want and we don’t view the point as a good point, but we will put the effort of the players down as a good point,” he said, adding: “In general, we had more possibilities to get something else and to achieve three points.”
West Brom injury news vs Cardiff
West Brom were without Kyle Bartley for the stalemate with Blackburn, with Corberan handing a league debut to Paddy McNair in the veteran defender’s absence. Bartley, 33, picked up a knock in the Baggies 1-1 tie with Oxford United last week and did not recover in time for the trip to Ewood.
Corberan revealed on Wednesday that he now also expects the defender to miss the weekend’s game against Cardiff City at The Hawthorns, having struggled in training due to the problem with his knee.
“Bartley let us know during training that his knee had not recovered properly from the previous game,” he explained. “I don’t think he’ll be ready for the game against Cardiff on Saturday, but we will have to wait and see how the knee reacts in the next few days.”
Carlos-Corberan-West-Bromwich-Albion
While Bartley will likely miss the Cardiff game, Jamaica international Mason Holgate, who also missed Wednesday’s draw with Rovers, will be back in contention.
“Mason Holgate, who was also injured, will train on Thursday,” revealed Corberan.
Bartley’s season so far
Bartley has been a key figure for West Brom so far this term, starting all but one of the Baggies’ 11 Championship games, captaining them on eight occasions. With the former Arsenal youngster at the heart of their defence, the Baggies enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, winning five of their first six games. Things have fallen apart since, however, with Corberan’s side losing two and drawing three of their last five.
That poor run of form could have changed against Blackburn had referee John Busby awarded the Baggies a penalty after Darnell Furlong appeared to have been pushed by Todd Cantwell inside the area.
Speaking with Birmingham Live after the match, Corberan expressed his frustration at his side not being given what he called an “obvious” spot kick.
“I think the action of the penalty, live, Furlong received a foul. A foul in the box, it’s a penalty. Because he was in the position and the defender [Cantwell] makes a foul to avoid the finishing of Furlong,” he said. “In these actions, the referee didn’t understand enough probably to issue a penalty.”
