Joe Wildsmith says it’s pleasing as a goalkeeper to make key saves which help the team pick up points.
The Baggies stopper was on hand to deny Millwall a winning goal on a number of occasions in the second half of Saturday’s 1-1 Sky Bet Championship draw.
Wildsmith, who has started the last three fixtures, admits Albion weren’t happy with their attacking performance, but believes they showcased their defensive capabilities down at The Den in what was a challenging physical encounter.
Joe said: “I think we can be pleased with a point. It’s a tough place to come and it’s always a battle when you come down to Millwall. They live and breathe off that environment that they create.
“After the result they had the other evening at Plymouth, we knew there would be some sort of reaction. We were preparing ourselves for a fast start from them unfortunately they managed to do that and got themselves a goal.
“We reacted well, bounced back quickly and equalised. It was battle out there though, rather than a footballing game. Millwall make it difficult for you to play, so overall, we can be happy with a point but not overly happy because we want to play a certain way and attack a certain way.
“It went away from that today, but we had to do the other side of the game and dig in, win headers, win first contact and second balls and not give away too many fouls.
“We take the positives and we take the point back up the road.
“As a goalkeeper, you’re paid to make saves. I’m always pleased to make saves and help the team get points on the board. It’s what we work for in training all week.
“Players get shots off and unfortunately we can’t stop all of them. Me making saves is going to happen in games so I need to make sure I’m prepared and have watched opposition strikers and wingers to see what they can do.
“Millwall’s centre-half is a big boy so we knew what was coming. There’s only so much you can do against someone who is six foot ten. We can defend it better, of course we can, but it can be difficult to pick up on a second phase and get the right people marking the right players. We’ll work on that and make sure we can be as strong as possible in future situations.
“I’ve bided my time, but it’s great to have an opportunity now and I want to stay in between the sticks for as long as possible. I want to help the team as much as I can and that’s what I’ve been working towards.”
