Steve Bruce believes the Baggies have taken “small steps” in recent weeks to restoring confidence within the group.
Albion left Hull City with all three points and a clean sheet over a week ago before producing a thrilling comeback to draw 2-2 with Huddersfield Town on Friday night having been 2-0 down with six minutes to go.
Bruce’s men welcome the Sky Bet Championship leaders Fulham to The Hawthorns on Tuesday hoping to close the gap between themselves and the top six, with the clash against the Cottagers the first of ten remaining matches this campaign.
And the boss says going “head-to-head” with “the best team in the league” will be a really good test for his players.
Bruce said: “I believe we’ve taken small steps over the last couple of games.
“I would have liked those steps to have been bigger ones over the last six weeks, but there were good signs the other night against Huddersfield.
“We started really well and then unfortunately came the mistake.
“The ending to the game showed there’s a bit of resilience about us and a bit of determination. It’s given us a bit of a momentum shift.
“I think the lads have taken a little bit of confidence recently. To come back the way they did the other night was refreshing for everybody.
“We’ve got to take the positive bits of Friday night and keep looking for the complete performance, which we’re going to need on Tuesday night if we’re going to get a result against Fulham.
“In my opinion, Fulham are the best team in the league. They’ve got a guy who has got 35 league goals already this season, which is a remarkable achievement.
“We need to defend well and make sure we don’t give Mitrovic any room in and around the penalty area.
“We also need to make sure we take our chances when they come along. We’ve had little bits and pieces of looking very decent, but we need our full concentration on playing well for 90 minutes.
“We’ll go head-to-head with them and take them on. Let’s see how good we are.
I think the lads have taken a little bit of confidence recently. To come back the way they did the other night was refreshing for everybody.”
