DEBUT DELIGHT...Hodgkiss sees his first senior action for Albion

JARED Hodgkiss makes his debut as mounting injury problems force Bryan Robson to make five changes to the side that beat Wigan 1-0 on Sunday.

The 19-year-old defender, a product of the Baggies' Academy, starts at right-back in place of Steve Watson, who picked up a knock in the JJB Stadium victory and misses out altogether.

Chris Kirkland deputises for the impressive Tomasz Kuszczak between the sticks, Martin Albrechtsen replaces the suspended Darren Moore at centre-half and Richard Chaplow starts in midfield, with Darren Carter dropping to left-back to fill in for the injured Paul Robinson.

Robert Earnshaw makes his first start in more than two months as the £3.5million striker comes in for Kevin Campbell, another man on the treatment table.

Robson also names three untried youngsters on the bench in strikers Rob Elvins and Stuart Nicholson and centre-midfielder Rob Davies.

Steve Coppell makes seven changes to the side that beat Coventry 2-0 on Saturday.

Graham Stack, Steve Sidwell, Leroy Lita, Stephen Hunt, John Oster, Chris Makin and Shane Long are all elevated to the starting XI.

Marcus Hahnemann, Glen Little and Kevin Doyle drop to the bench, while Bobby Convey, Ibra Sonko, Nicky Shorey and 17-goal top scorer Dave Kitson are left out altogether.

READING (4-4-2): Stack; Murty, Ingimarsson, Gunnarsson, Makin; Oster, Harper, Sidwell, Hunt;Long, Lita. Subs: Hahnemann (gk), Little, Doyle, Osano, Cox.

ALBION (4-4-2): Kirkland; Hodgkiss, C Davies, Albrechtsen, Carter; Chaplow, Wallwork, Inamoto, Greening; Earnshaw, Ellington. Subs: Kuszczak (gk), Dyer, R Davies, Elvins, S Nicholson.

REFEREE: P Taylor (Hertfordshire).

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