Keeper sets points tally for Prem survival
BEN Foster believes victory in Saturday’s crunch home clash with survival rivals Cardiff (ko 3pm) will make a big dent in the points tally he feels Albion need to beat the drop.
The 16th-placed Baggies currently sit just above Crystal Palace on goal difference, with both teams on 28 points.
Sunderland are three points adrift, with two games in hand, while the Bluebirds (25) and bottom-placed Fulham (24) have both played a game more than Pepe Mel’s men.
And Foster reckons Albion need eight or nine points from their final eight games to secure their top-flight status for another season.
“I think maybe 36 or 37 points will probably do it this season, it’s really tight down there, so first things first we need to get three points from the Cardiff game.
“Then our run-in isn’t as bad as some other teams – we’ve got Arsenal away, Tottenham at home and Man City away but the rest are all teams around us so we need to remain positive.
“Yeah, they’re massive. Each game is a monster game in all honesty.
"We’ve got to put Hull behind us now, Cardiff is another six-pointer.
“If you look at the Swansea game we did so well there, we just need to take a bit of confidence from that really.
“I thought we did well up until the penalty on Saturday, the penalty was a game changer. So there are some positives to take.”
Victor Anichebe (hamstring) and Gareth McAuley (calf) became the latest players to join Albion’s injury list on Saturday.
The Baggies were already without Chris Brunt, Morgan Amalfitano and Diego Lugano (all knee), plus Billy Jones and Claudio Yacob (both hamstring).
And Foster is hoping Albion’s fortunes quickly change on that front.
He added: “It’s amazing isn’t it!
“It’s always the way when your luck’s down and things are going against you.
“Hopefully they’re not too bad, I think on Saturday they came off as soon as the injuries happened, they didn’t push them to the limits.”