Robbie Pethick is pressing for a regular role for Albion as a third centre half.

Pethick made an accomplished return in that position from an eight-week injury absence in Monday's 1-1 draw at Wolves.

Now the versatile defender is hoping to keep his place for the visit of Derby on Saturday.

It remains to be seen whether boss Steve Coppell sticks with an extra stopper at home, but Pethick said: "I played centre half under Peter Taylor here and a lot of games under Terry Fenwick when I was at Portsmouth, so it was nothing strange to me.

"I enjoyed it. Hopefully I've done enough to keep my place. He (Coppell) obviously did his homework for the Wolves game. It all depends what he has got up his sleeve for the next one."

Coppell certainly pulled a rabbit out of the hat by restoring Pethick to the side at Molineux in place of the suspended Paul Brooker and changing the system.

Pethick, snapped up by Micky Adams on a free transfer from Bristol Rovers two summers ago, was as shocked as anybody.

The wet weather had ruined plans for a preparatory run-out in the reserves for the 32-year-old after he broke a bone in a foot in the home defeat by Stoke on September 17.

"I'd been training for three or four days," Pethick explained. "Dean White was reading out the reserves to go with him and I wasn't one of them.

"All of a sudden I thought what am I doing here? Then he (Coppell) just pulled me in and said I was playing centre half on Monday night, which was a big surprise.

"There were three of us at the back. I think the idea was to nullify Mark Kennedy and Denis Irwin from coming forward as well, which Harty (Gary Hart) did in midfield.

"If Kennedy knocked it past Watto (Paul Watson) I was getting across with my pace to help him out.

"I'm naturally fit, but it's completely different to match fitness. I was blowing out of my backside for the last ten minutes, but that's usual anyway!

"It was a great result. I thought we were a bit hard done by with the deflection for their goal, but Michel (Kuipers) made two great saves.

"We should have gone 2-0 up and killed the game, but we would have been happy with a point at the start."

The picture at the bottom of the table should become a lot clearer in the next month.

Albion's two games in hand of their fellow strugglers are at Nottingham Forest on November 27 and at home to Ipswich on December 10, providing Joe Royle's side are knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Liberec tonight.

If Ipswich progress in Europe then that Withdean date will have to be rescheduled.

"We should be all right," Pethick said. "I think our squad is good enough to stay up with the players brought in and the ones already here.

"We're still bottom but we've got games in hand. You would rather have the points on the board, but we have got the chance to get ourselves out of trouble and I think we are good enough to do it. We've got Derby coming down to our place on Saturday. I don't think they will fancy Withdean."

Coppell was pleased with Pethick's contribution and the way his new defensive formation worked.

"He is an experienced player who knows what he's doing. We still didn't get a clean sheet, but we're getting closer.

"It was a great performance after being out for so long, but I felt everyone played their part. I couldn't think of anyone who played poorly. I think they all dug in and gave their best.

"Wolves have got quality players and it was very much a case of if they play well we get beat, so one of the objectives was to try and stop them playing well. We identified key areas where we felt we had to do our work to stop them generating a real passage of consistent, attacking, football."

Pethick was one of six players in the starting line-up signed by Adams. The Leicester manager was at Molineux to watch his former charges and he said: "I thought they played very well.

"I've heard a lot about them this season, but they did enough to win the game. Everybody looked as though they were at it.

"It's going to be difficult for them because of the poor start they've had, but it's a start and now they have got to carry it on."

Adams wasn't the only ex-Albion boss at Molineux impressed by the performance.

Taylor, who was summarising on the match for Sky, said: "They had a plan and Wolves couldn't beat it. They will be disappointed with the goal they conceded, but it is still a good place to go and get a point.

"When you lose so many games all you think of is negtaives. All of a sudden they have taken four points from two matches, so I am sure everyone is thinking now this is what is possible.

"To beat Bradford and draw with Wolves is very positive. You could tell the players are as honest and hard-working as ever and they have just got to keep believing they can finish fourth-bottom."

Saturday's showdown against Derby is a complete sell-out, the visitors having sold their full allocation of tickets.

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