Match Previews

Shan ahead of Blackburn clash

JAMES Shan is "expecting a really tough challenge" from Blackburn in their Premier League 2 Division Two fixture on Monday.

His PL2 side travel up to Lancashire to take on a Rovers team that sit second in the league table, and Shan is under no illusions about the task that lies ahead of them.

“They’re very resilient and difficult to break down, so it’s going to be hard to get in behind them and create goalscoring opportunities," he said.

“They’ll also cause us problems at the other end. They are a good footballing team and they play with a lot of attacking flair - so I’m expecting a really tough challenge."

Albion were narrowly defeated 1-0 by table-topping Middlesbrough last time out, but Shan was encouraged by their performance and hopes they can repeat it against Blackburn.

“There were many positives against Middlesbrough in terms of possession and having more crosses, shots and final third entries than them,” he added. 

“I was disappointed with the nature of how we conceded the goal, but I thought we edged the first half and we should have probably been ahead at half time.

“And then we had two penalty decisions turned away in the second half, so we were a little bit frustrated to have come away with nothing.

“Kyle Howkins has been away at Cambridge and hasn’t been getting many minutes, and he came on as a substitute. He’s had a good week of training under his belt and is in contention to play against Blackburn.

“And I thought Tahvon Campbell was very good and one of the most effective players on the pitch last Monday, so hopefully he can build on his performance.”

  • Home