UNDER-23s boss James Shan wants to see a reaction from his team when they take on Ipswich Town in the Premier League Cup at St George’s Park on Thursday (ko 7pm).
“Monday night was a disappointing result and probably equally, or maybe even more so, a disappointing performance,” said Shan.
“There were definitely signs in that performance that we haven't played in five weeks. That could sound like a bit of an excuse but it’s a fact.
“So I’m hoping that it’s blown the cobwebs out of their system a little bit and that we’re ready to go. There was a couple of bright sparks in there, most notably Morgan Rogers, who at just 15 years old was very good.”
Albion have lost their first three matches in the PL Cup, but could still finish in the top two of Group E and go through to the next round if they win their remaining fixtures and other results go their way.
“If you look at the table now, we’re cut adrift. We need to 100% try and win our remaining three games and that’s a massive task,” added Shan.
“We played Ipswich last year in this competition. Both games were good - we were excellent at Portman Road even though we lost the game.
“They are a good attacking threat and they’ve got some nice players in the final third of the pitch. I know their coach quite well because I did a course with him.
“They are also doing well in terms of producing players, so they’ll be a good test for us and we’re looking forward to it.”
Admission into St George's Park for the match will be £5 for adults and £1 for concessions.