BAGGING AREA EXPECTED ITEM IN Conor convinced Albion are timing their push perfectly

CONOR TOWNSEND hopes promotion-chasers West Brom have hit form just at the right time.

The in-form Baggies have lost only one of their last 10 games and sit pretty in fifth, five points clear of sixth-placed Norwich.

And after narrowly missing out on the play-offs last season, it’s understandable determined leftback Townsend doesn’t want to miss out for a second year running.

“We’ve put ourselves in a decent position with eight games to go,” he said.

“Run-ins are exciting. They are quite a nervous time for people, for a lot of teams but hopefully we can keep the run that we’re on going and give ourselves the best possible chance.

“It’s in our hands, which is a lot different to last year. We needed people to drop points last year and hopefully we can keep it in our own hands right up until the end.

“We’ve picked up. The lads that came in in January have given us a lift and we’ve kicked on from there.”

Celtic loan forward Mikey Johnston has dazzled since joining in the January transfer window with six goals in 10 games.

And with boss Carlos Corberan (right) having used the window to strengthen his squad for a final assault on the play-offs, the Baggies have given themselves a fighting chance of getting back to the top flight for the first time since 2021.

“This club historically has been a

Premier League club,” added Townsend, who won promotion to the Premier League with the Baggies in 2019-2020.

“The past 20 years it’s been a mainstay in the Premier League.

“We know the fans expect us to be back in the Premier League. As a player, for me, personally to get back to playing at that level would be amazing.

“When we got back to the Premier League it was obviously during Covid. We experienced it, but not to the level that we should have.

“There are still four or five of us here from that team that got promoted so we want to experience it fully and the rest of the lads are really wanting to get there as well.

“There’s motivation from all ends of the squad.

“It was a really surreal time playing in the Premier League without crowds.

“We were grateful that we managed to have the season up there, we would have loved to have stayed up but didn’t manage to do it.

“It’s been three or four years and hopefully we can do it this time and get back there.”

Townsend, 31 (right) has been involved in plenty of play-off battles in his career – and he cherishes the feeling of coming out on the winning end.

“The first season I was here we lost to Aston Villa in the play-offs and then the second season we went up,” added the club’s vice-captain.

“I had two play-offs at Scunthorpe as well so I ended up having three in a row.

“It’s difficult, the play-offs always are. There’s going to be good teams in there and if you manage to do it and get promoted, by doing it at Wembley is incredible.

“These are the memories that stick with you and what you tell the family about.”

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