Ryan Mason says which West Brom star has ‘massive role’ to play in Premier League promotion hunt
West Brom will fancy their chances of mounting a serious push for the Premier League after an excellent start to the new league season.
The Baggies have won both of their opening two Championship games, which stands them among a group of just three sides to have notched maximum points so far.
Mason led West Brom to their first league away win in 279 days at Wrexham last weekend, ending a dismal run which stretched back to November 2024.
Their next assignment to continue their bright start is a home clash, with Portsmouth the visitors to The Hawthorns on Saturday.
Ryan Mason shares huge praise for Jed Wallace
Mason has been praised for West Brom’s win over Wrexham, as his second-half substitutions had a huge say on the final outcome of the game.
The new boss introduced the duo of Mikey Johnston and Jed Wallace just over 15 minutes from full-time, and within a minute, the pair combined to put Albion 2-1 up.
The club captain’s 74th-minute strike changed the complexion of the game altogether, while Johnston also laid on the assist for Isaac Price to net the third.
Wallace hasn’t started a game for the B71 outift since the draw with Millwall on 15 February, but Mason has been quick to emphasise his continued importance to the project.
The former Tottenham academy coach has heaped praise on the skipper in an interview with the Express and Star.
“He’s not just the club captain, he’s my captain too,” Mason said.
“He’s experienced and I value him massively inside of the training ground, inside of the training group. We’ve lost a lot of experience and lost a few leaders within our camp in the last couple of months, since the back-end of last season.
“Jed’s got a massive role to play.
“There’s other lads that are going to need to step up as well. But yes, he’s my captain and I’m very happy that he could come on and have that moment because he fully deserves it.”
West Brom have chance to lay down a marker in next three games
West Brom have made an excellent start in the Championship, and they have an opportunity to really cement their place at the top end of the table in the next few weeks.
The Baggies have a perfect opportunity to put more wins on the board in their next three games, but also show their early promotion credentials to their likely rivals.
- 23 August – West Brom vs Portsmouth
- 30 August – Stoke City vs West Brom
- 13 September – West Brom vs Derby County
Saturday’s clash with Portsmouth is followed up by a trip to early leaders Stoke City, before Derby County visit for The Hawthorns’ 125th anniversary game.
Pompey are are expected to struggle, while Derby are yet to register their first point of the season, making those two home tests an ideal chance to take maximum points.
The encounter with Stoke will also see Mason’s men test their mettle against one of their fellow early pace setters.
If the Baggies can retain their lofty position after those three fixtures, then they will have shown that they are a team to be feared this term.
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