‘I was excited to go up against a top side like Newcastle United’ James Morrison

James Morrison is looking forward to Wednesday night against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

The West Brom boss saying he was excited when the draw was made.

The Baggies won 4-1 away at Rotherham in the Carabao Cup first round to earn a trip to St James’ Park.

West Brom are also one of only three Championship clubs to have maximum points so far.

They won 2-1 away at Norwich in their opening league match, then 3-1 at home to Burnley.

James Morrison talking ahead of Wednesday night: “Obviously it was an intense and physical game on Sunday but everyone came through okay, Mikey Johnston is still being assessed and Jayson Molumby has recovered from his cramp. Overall I’m happy with our availability. It means we can go and be competitive in this game [at St James’ Park]. When the draw first came out, I was excited to go up against a top side like Newcastle United.”

It is over eight years since any West Brom fans visited St James’ Park to watch their team play, a 1-0 away victory in the Premier League.

James Morrison stating: “We are respecting the opposition, the competition and the 2,000 travelling fans. It is an unbelievable effort from them, so hopefully we can put in a performance they can be proud of. It will be a tough and exciting week with the challenges of playing a Premier League side in their home stadium. It’s a nice challenge to have, but we will be tested both mentally and physically. Newcastle have got quality all over the pitch but I feel like we can go there and put up a good challenge. I’m excited. I have been at this club long enough to know that our cup runs need to be better, so we are taking it seriously.”

An arguably even bigger match awaits West Brom on Saturday, a 12.30pm kick-off against Middlesbrough in the Championship.

James Morrison: “We are staying up there [in the North-East] for the duration of the two games, I think it is the best way to prepare properly. We will train at venues up there and it gives the new players an opportunity to spend time with their teammates. It is about turning a situation into a positive. It is good to have the group together for a long period of time but the end goal is three points at Middlesbrough, which is one of the toughest places to go in the league. I am determined to make sure it is not a prison camp where everyone is stuck in a hotel for four days. I’m trying to make the most of the opportunity of having the group together.”

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