When Richie Towell made his full debut for Albion in an FA Cup defeat, he was not planning on waiting for his next start in the same competition a year later.

That is how it has turned out for the unfortunate Irishman after running himself into the ground - and onto the sidelines - in an effort to impress manager Chris Hughton.

The League of Ireland player of the year arrived at the Amex full of hope that he could force his way into Hughton's Championship plans.

It has not evolved that way for the prolific former Dundalk playmaker and he has revealed he is partly to blame.

Towell made his first appearance in a makeshift side in Albion's FA Cup third round exit at Hull (below), shortly after his pre-announced signing in the January 2016 transfer window.

The Argus: Twelve months on, his only appearances since then were as a substitute in the injury-ravaged carnage of Albion's first leg defeat in the play-offs against Sheffield Wednesday in May and starting in the No.10 role in the win against MK Dons earlier this month which secured tomorrow's FA Cup fourth round trip to National League leaders Lincoln City.

The 25-year-old entered his first pre-season with Albion determined to make an impact, only for a self-inflicted knee injury to leave him playing catch-up.

"It was a weird one," the Dubliner explained. "I hadn't played much when I originally came last year.

"So, in the off-season, I had it in my head that I was going to come back the fittest I've ever been.

"I probably worked myself a little bit too hard. I had a hole underneath my knee and the cartilage was gone.

"The medical team put it down to the pounding. I was running on hard surfaces, road running, which obviously didn't help.

"I went to see a specialist in London. he said it could have been down to just wear and tear, doing too much on hard surfaces.

"I came back and did probably the first week and a half of pre-season.

"I felt really fit still and then I went and got the scan and was on crutches the next day. I was gutted.

 

"It was sore, to be fair, but I was just trying to get through it to show the manager how fit I was and how much hard work I'd put in over the summer.

"It kind of backfired on me, to be honest. Even when I went to New York for ten days, I went running every single day.

"Sometimes I was getting up at six in the morning going out running before my partner (Kelly) was even up.

"She must have been thinking I was crazy! But it was something I was willing to do to try and come back in the best physical shape possible. Obviously it didn't go to plan."

The Argus: Towell's injury setback has been compounded by the intense competition for players in central midfield, the summer addition of Oliver Norwood (above) and re-signing of Steve Sidwell supplementing last year's regular partnership of Dale Stephens and the now fit-again Beram Kayal.

Hughton said: "It's been very frustrating for him. The difficulty he's had is he can play in a few positions but the position we brought him in for, we've got four players that have done very well.

"Beram has now, of course, come back into the fold, so it's been very difficult for him to get the minutes, but he's been excellent around the place, a very good trainer.

"It's just unfortunate for him that he's got four experienced central midfielders in front of him at the moment."

Hughton has not ruled out the possibility of Towell heading out on loan before Tuesday's deadline, although that has not been the plan.

He said: "It's every day that we assess. Sometimes things change, if there is an opportunity for someone to go somewhere in particular.

"As regards the players that are not playing regularly or not making the bench on a regular basis, we're always thinking about it."

Towell, under contract until the end of next season, has no regrets about making the move, in spite of the disappointments he has suffered so far.

"No, definitely not," he said. "I'd never regret anything in life. It was the right decision at the time and I still feel it was the right decision.

"I have a lot to offer the team and the club, so hopefully on Saturday I can show what I can do and force my way into the team.

"I want to play here. It's a great club with great players, great staff, and I just want to be a part of that. The club wants to achieve great things and it's something that I really want to be on board with."