Marc Albrighton opens up on Birmingham City rivalry before West Brom trip to St Andrews
West Brom winger Marc Albrighton knows he could be in for a hostile reception from Birmingham City fans when the two Championship sides meet on Friday night (10 February).
Albrighton, 33, was snapped up by the Baggies on a loan deal on transfer deadline day and made an immediate impact during the hard-fought 1-0 win against Coventry last week.
However, having joined the Aston Villa academy at the age of eight and risen through the ranks at Villa Park, the Englishman told the Express and Star (Thursday 9 February) he was expecting a less-than-friendly reception from the Blues’ fanbase.
The experienced wide man said: “I’m sure I’ll get a rapturous applause. There is a lot of Villa fans (in my family).
“I’ve never really had a Villa–West Brom rivalry. My grievances have always been with Birmingham City, that’s how I was brought up.
“I remember games when I was at school, when Blues first came back up to the Premier League, the Enckelman era, they are the days that gave me that grievance towards Birmingham City. In terms of the West Brom thing, I don’t see any rivalry there.
“Yeah, these are games that are going to be intense – you need to work in every single game to get points, but with Midlands rivalries, there is going to be more on these.
“I’ve played in derbies before and it’s just so much more passionate in terms of the fans and environment you’re in.”
Rivalry
The move from ex-Aston Villa academy graduate Albrighton to West Brom did raise a few eyebrows amongst the most loyal fans, but it seems his grievances lie with the Blues instead.
After making a more than impressive debut for Carlos Corberan’s side on the right wing, he will hope to deal a crushing blow to Birmingham who are currently sitting precariously close to the Championship relegation zone.
His ability to play in pinpoint crosses will only aid the attacking threat the Baggies pose, with Daryl Dike likely to thrive off such service. If the 33-year-old can strike up a decent chemistry with Dike, it could well lead to a new source of creativity down the right-hand side.
The clash against Birmingham is the type of game West Brom simply have to win if they are to continue their push for one of the top six play-off spots at the end of the season.
In other West Brom news, the manager has been warned that he could be judged very harshly if his decision turns out badly.