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Mowbray keeping calm as Albion hit the top
West Bromwich Albion's return to the top of the Coca-Cola Championship may have their fans finally believing the Premier League could be on the horizon.
But manager Tony Mowbray is insisting no one in the Albion camp will be getting carried away after the club's return to the summit with their 3-1 victory over Blackpool on Tuesday.
The Baggies' boss led his team to secure the double over the Seasiders - the first team to achieve that feat this season - and fired them back into the automatic promotion places for the first time in two months.
But Mowbray knows, with five games to go, his side's position is still precarious with just two points separating the top five sides.
Watford, Albion's opponents in the Saturday tea-time kickoff at The Hawthorns, missed the chance to displace Albion by crashing 3-0 at home to relegation-threatened Barnsley last night, emphasising the tight nature of the play-off race.
Mowbray said: "No one at our club is going to get carried away. We have seen too many strange results in this division for that.
"It's been a strange season for Watford who looked like they were going to run away with it and have recently had a series of draws. They got back to winning ways at the weekend and they'll be coming knowing what our Achilles heel is and trying to take advantage."
Mowbray added: "We have got to try and impose our own style on the game, take the points and then games will be starting to run out for teams. I do think going top does give the boys a boost however. It can create an impetus within the team.
"With Bristol losing at the weekend, and Stoke losing on Monday night, it was important that we tried to capitalise.
"Everyone has been saying that for a few months and everyone keeps tripping up but at Blackpool we didn't."
The Albion boss is now hoping his side's Bloomfield Road win will give them the lift they need to get through their fourth game in just 11 days when they tackle the Hornets.
"We won't fail this year through lack of determination and desire. Whether other issues catch up with the team, we'll have to wait and see but if you keep winning, you don't feel quite as tired and drained."
Albion's one blow was the loss of defender Martin Albrechtsen who limped off in the 28th minute against Blackpool with a groin injury.
* Albion have confirmed that striker Stuart Nicholson will be released in the summer having spent the majority of this season out on loan.
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