Mowbray hunting down top-two

Last updated : 04 March 2008 By Wba-mad Editor

Tony Mowbray is hoping his troops can use tonight's visit to Hillsborough (KO 7.45pm) as a way of putting pressure on the teams occupying the automatic promotion places. After Saturday's 3-0 victory over Paul Sturrock's Plymouth side, the Baggies now sit four points behind second-place Stoke with two games in hand on their Staffordshire rivals.


Albion
face a tricky quarter-final FA Cup tie at Bristol Rovers on Sunday with the Baggies' chief hoping to stay in contention at the top of the Championship before thoughts turn to the cup.

"We are coming to a stage where teams are in the last 11 or so games and every match is important now," Mowbray said.

"We are playing Sheffield Wednesday, who are third-bottom in the league, but if you've watched them you'll know they've got some decent players and are fighting for their lives.

"The league itself shows that anyone can beat anybody.

"If you look at the league and think you should win, yet you don't compete, then you will get beaten because Wednesday are more than capable of beating anybody at home.

"It's a tough fixture but one we believe we can go there and get three points from to put pressure on teams around us.

"It's getting to that stage where you do start taking an interest in what's going on around you and who's playing who.

"While we can't affect those games, other teams will drop points and it's important we win."

Although Wednesday currently sit in the relegation places Mowbray is urging his men to approach the game in correct way as they search for their first back-to-back wins this year.

The team has to believe in themselves and trust in themselves," the Baggies boss continued.

"On Saturday I thought our defensive set-up allowed us to go and win the football match.

"In recent weeks we've been giving teams a goal start and the way we play when we try to expand the pitch leaves ourselves vulnerable at times.

"So, it's important not to give people a goal start.

"If that detracts from the openness and the flair that we try to show then so-be-it because we need to win football matches as we are now very much into the run-in.

"I don't think it compromises our philosophies.

"We need to do what is required to get over the line."