Baggies No.1 has two targets in sight against Saints
BEN Foster heads to Southampton on Saturday (ko 3pm) targeting back-to-back league wins for only the second time this season to push Albion up the table.
The England goalkeeper is also looking to build on the Baggies’ first top-flight clean sheet in ten games in the 1-0 New Year’s Day win over in-form Newcastle.
And victory at St Mary’s, where Albion won 3-0 last term, could lift them up four places to tenth if results go in their favour at the weekend.
“Back-to-back wins would be massive,” said Foster.
“There are seven or eight teams that could shoot into the top half of the table with two or three wins in a row and open up a gap to the relegation zone.
“Mentally, seeing yourself in the top half of the table is a huge boost.
“It’s what we need to do.
“You saw what we did last season against Southampton.
“We beat them 3-0 down there and it wasn’t a flattering scoreline at all.
“We absolutely dominated from the first minute in that game, so we need to do exactly the same.
“It’s a bit of a different Southampton so it will be a tougher match.
“It was still a fairly decent performance by us against Palace in the FA Cup at the weekend.
“We showed our determination and gave it everything we had but just couldn’t find that breakthrough.
“We’ll take all the positives and confidence we’ve got from the previous five games into the Southampton game.”
The 30-year-old shot-stopper also feels Albion owe the ninth-placed Saints one after losing 1-0 at The Hawthorns to a harsh 90th-minute penalty – converted by Rickie Lambert - on the opening day of the season.
“I’ve never been so sad after a game,” Foster added.
“I was devastated.
“In my two-and-a-half years here we’ve never really lost a game in the last minute.
“I can’t recall another game prior to that where we’ve been in the game and gone and lost with one of the last kicks of the game.
“I was so sad after that game, especially because it was at the start of the season and you always want to get off to a good start.
“There’s a point to prove for us on Saturday.”