Conor backs Baggies to turn the tables
CONOR Townsend insists no-one at West Brom is alarmed by their position in the table after they marked the halfway point in the season with a goalless draw at Barnsley.
Albion find themselves in fourth place after rampant Blackburn leapfrogged them over the weekend, but they remain only two points behind second-placed Bournemouth, who have won only one of their last eight league games.
In comparison to their position at the same stage two years ago when, under Slaven Bilic, they were 12 points clear of third place and at the top of the Championship with 50 points, Townsend admits the Baggies aren’t where they would like to be.
Still, there remain 69 points to play for and the left-back said: “We had it when we went up. We were eight clear, nine clear, at this stage of the season. I don’t think it matters that much at the minute.
“Obviously we’d rather be there, but two or three – even five or six – points is nothing in this league when the games come thick and fast. It’s all about being in and around it come March time when the run-in really starts.
“There are a lot of games between now and March, and we can really set ourselves up for a good run-in.”
Albion’s strife in front of goal haunted them again at Oakwell on Friday, on a night when they could – and should – have won by a handsome margin. They passed up several decent openings to break the deadlock, which meant they departed with a point rather than all three.
“We just need to start taking chances, which has been the case for a while,” Townsend conceded. “We’ve talked about the killer instinct in front of goal, if we take those chances we win comfortably.
“We’re halfway through the season, we’re still in a good position. We’re not where we want to be and that’s got to be the target for us.”
For Townsend, it was a return to action after testing positive for Covid. “I’ve been all right,’’he added. “I’ve been ticking over in my gym and doing what I can to keep fit.”