Left-back determined to pick up points required
LIAM Ridgewell insists he is focused purely on what Albion do over the final straight of the season and not the fortunes of their rivals.
The Baggies’ 3-3 draw at home to top-five hopefuls Tottenham on Saturday leaves them with 33 points from 33 games this season.
Pepe Mel’s side are currently three points and a healthy goal difference clear of the drop zone, with a game in hand over the majority of the teams around them.
Ridgewell said: “It’s very tight and I think it’s been like that for a couple of weeks now.
“Everyone has been dragged back into it - teams who probably thought they were safe.
“But it’s in our own hands and we’ve got to make sure we pick up the points to make sure we’re safe.”
Asked whether one more win would suffice, Ridgewell replied: “I would rather have two or three. The longer it goes on the more it changes.
“People were saying it was one win, then it was a point, and then Cardiff went and won on Saturday.
“We are not looking at the table. As long as we keep picking up our points and winning our games we are safe, so that’s the most important thing for us.”
Ridgewell, 29, spoke of his disappointment after the draw against Spurs, with Albion letting slip of a three-goal lead racked up with just 31 minutes on the clock.
The left-back does, though, acknowledge a point would arguably have been a solid return prior to kick-off.
Having gone into the interval holding a 3-1 advantage, the Baggies were not the force they were after the break.
However, Ridgewell insists that was down to the attacking riches at Tottenham’s disposal as a pose to he and his team-mates sitting back on their lead.
“The half-time message was just to carry on much the same and try to put them under pressure, but it turned around,” he said.
“And we have been there. When you’re 3-1 down you can throw a bit of caution to the wind and it paid off for them in the end. They’ve got quality players and they made it count.
“They were playing very well. They pushed us back and it was a tough job to get out.
“Then having six minutes added at the end didn’t help.
“We were tired and disappointed. We didn’t expect six minutes but the referee said we were wasting time from the 20th minute.
“You’ve got to try to deal with it and sadly we didn’t.”