Sideways Sammy

A momentous win over Middlesbrough on Monday night could prove to be a turning point in Coventry City’s season, but it is imperative the team back that performance up with a sustained run of form. The attention now switches back to the road, where Coventry have come unstuck over the past few months, as a solution to those struggles could be the difference between Monday’s win being a one-off or the catalyst towards achieving promotion.

The Hawthorns has rarely been a place where, even at the best of times, Coventry City have been able to get results. West Bromwich Albion may be struggling for form themselves, but it seems to be one of those places where successive Coventry teams have developed a mental block. Frank Lampard and co will pay little creed to such omens, which is exactly the mentality required to get the win here.

Expected Line-Up

The headline team news for this game is the return of Brandon Thomas-Asante after his needless suspension picked up after the Norwich City game. An immediate return for the forward seems unlikely, given the excellent result and performance against Middlesbrough, which keeps him in the super-sub role that he may well be best-suited to.

There really seems no other reason but to stick with the same XI that beat Middlesbrough. With Haji Wright stretching defences with his running from centre-forward, Jack Rudoni and Matt Grimes looking energised by the presence of Frank Onyeka in midfield, this looks a team equipped to take points away from home. The big question is whether Frank Lampard continues to tinker in defence.

Coventry have only named the first-choice back-line in three out of their last 11 games and only once has the same back-line started back-to-back games in that period. The question for the manager is whether to stick with back four that helped beat Middlesbrough, or to bring Liam Kitching back into the fold as his preferred left-sided centre-back. For this game, consistency of selection is likely to be of greater value.

Last Time We Met

West Bromwich Albion thoroughly outplayed Coventry City in the first-half at the CBS Arena, looking set for a big result for their beleaguered manager, Ryan Mason. With Aune Heggebo terrorising Coventry’s centre-backs and Mikey Johnston threatening out wide, that formula produced two first-half goals, albeit with Josh Eccles pulling one back before the break.

Two fatal moments occurred after half-time. The first being Mikey Johnston mysteriously being substituted by Mason, for tactical reasons. Then Jayson Molumby picking up a reckless second yellow card to put Coventry City completely in the ascendancy, with West Brom unable to threaten on the counter. 12 minutes after Molumby’s red, Coventry were ahead, with Ellis Simms heading in a Bobby Thomas knock-down, then Victor Torp catching a loose clearance from a corner beautifully to complete the turnaround.

A warning sign of weaknesses set to be exposed but against an opponent incapable of fully taking advantage.

The Manager – Eric Ramsay

A former coach at Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ramsay cut his teeth in management in MLS at Minnesota United at just 32 years old. The 2025 season saw Eric Ramsay achieve the club’s best-ever regular season record in MLS, noted for his impressively well-organised defence and team’s prowess from set-pieces to achieve success. Walking into a West Bromwich Albion team lacking confidence, Ramsay is yet to win a game.

The chief challenge that Eric Ramsay has faced thus far is that he is being perceived as another young and inexperienced manager in the wake of the unsuccess of a similar profile of coach, in Ryan Mason. Fans are twitchy, with only Leicester City’s points deduction keeping them out of the relegation zone, and there has been no tangible improvement in results, albeit with the team starting to produce clean sheets, suggesting Ramsay’s defensive organisation is starting to take effect.

Who To Look Out For?

Eric Ramsay’s early focus has clearly been on the defence, turning to experience to stem the flow of goals the Baggies had been letting in. Nat Phillips and Charlie Taylor are starting to form a solid central defensive partnership, while Jed Wallace is back in favour out wide, with Alex Mowatt playing the defensive midfield role. Notably, Mikey Johnston looks out of favour at the moment as Ramsay tries to keep things solid at the back.

In terms of attacking flair, the hope is that Aston Villa loannee – and former academy player – Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba can add some excitement to the team, having been in and around Villa’s first-team squad this season. In addition, Isaac Price has been pushed forward from a midfield position to a more advanced role as someone who can press and nick goals. Aune Heggebo’s physical strength and hold-up play is another key area of how West Brom are looking to build their attacks.

Elsewhere, Max O’Leary in goal looks to have survived a rough start at the Albion to keep successive clean sheets. The hope is that Eric Ramsay will organise the team well enough that O’Leary’s workload between the sticks is minimal.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Having ceded possession against Middlesbrough to great success, the challenge for Coventry City here will be in breaking down an opponent that will be happy to let them play the role of protagonists. With the Sky Blues having struggled to score from set-pieces of late, this is a particular concern at the moment, especially as this team has developed a tendency of committing too many bodies forward and being caught on the break.

The Baggies will look to use Aune Heggebo to pin the centre-backs – likely targeting Joel Latibeaudiere – to get Isaac Price, Jed Wallace and Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba making runs beyond him into the space that opens up. By playing Isaac Price effectively as a centre-forward, it limits the ability of Bobby Thomas to come across and cover for Latibeaudiere losing physical duels. Matt Grimes or Frank Onyeka may have to take some responsibility in trying to buffer against Heggebo rather than completely committing to pushing for goals.

At the other end, Coventry City wingers could be crucial in stretching West Bromwich Albion’s defence. Callum Styles might have played a lot of football at West Brom as left-back but is a midfielder by trade and not the tallest, which could be where Tatsuhiro Sakamoto – surprisingly good in the air – could find joy. On the right, Eric Ramsay has switched constantly between the attack-minded Danny Imray and the incredibly defensive Alfie Gilchrist, with the latter likely to be preferred in this match, either of which an in-form Ephron Mason-Clark should be able to get the better of.