West Bromwich Albion Football Club News

• Nickname:The Baggies
• Founded:1878
• Manager:Roy Hodgson

• Ground:The Hawthorns
• Capacity:25,400

Baggies hope for Jay boost

14 Jan 2009 - 09:04:17

Click To Enlarge

Manager Tony Mowbray believes Jay Simpson could be the difference between West Brom being relegated or surviving after his first goal for the club.

The on-loan Arsenal striker opened the scoring in Tuesday's 2-0 FA Cup third-round replay victory over Peterborough United with a stunning 18th minute strike.

Paul Robinson's 37th minute header helped set-up a fourth round tie against Burnley.

"How many times have I sat and talked about having plenty of the ball but not being able to score and getting hurt from a set-play?" Mowbray told the club's official website.

"If Jay's quality and ability means he can score goals like tonight, maybe that will help us in the Premier League, where we can generally keep possession and at times look the better side yet not score.

"If Jay can stick a few of them in from 25 yards, maybe that will go hand in hand with our ability to retain the ball and threaten teams."

Meanwhile, Mowbray has confirmed his interest in signing Benfica striker Ariza Makukula on loan.

The 27-year-old DR Congo-born Portugal international is set for talks over a switch to The Hawthorns until the end of the season.

"Makukula is coming over but there is a long way to go before anything is sorted," he revealed.

"Regarding his fitness, he hasn't played for a long time and there's also the financial side of things."