Kevin Phillips sends warning to Wolves over West Brom ‘threat’ | OneFootball

The former Albion frontman has backed Jimmy-Jay Morgan to have a say in this weekend’s Black Country Derby.

West Brom legend Kevin Phillips has sent a warning to Wolves over the ‘threat’ Jimmy-Jay Morgan can pose in the Black Country Derby this weekend.

With both sides high up in the league table in the early stages of the campaign, it’s all set up to be an enthralling clash, with every player giving it their all to win over the bragging rights heading into the three-week international break.

These are matches where players can write themselves into the club’s folklore, with this the game that means the most to supporters than any other fixture in the calendar.

So with this in mind, former Albion frontman Kevin Phillips, who scored 46 goals in 81 appearances while in the blue and white stripes, has backed another forward in Morgan to do the damage in the latest instalment at Molineux.

Wolves and West Brom’s impressive starts to the season

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One of the fieriest and most passionate fixtures in the EFL Championship calendar is approaching, with a first league meeting between the two bitter rivals since 2021 set to get underway at Sunday lunchtime, with the pair aiming to keep their impressive starts to the season going.

Wolves, recently coming down from the Premier League, are hovering around the promotion picture, with a 1-0 victory away at Sheffield United last week meaning they’ve won three out of their last five league games and have 11 points on the board heading into the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Baggies have carried on their excellent turnaround under James Morrison, with Albion taking 14 points from their opening seven matches and also staking a claim for a promotion push.

Kevin Phillips warns Wolves over Jimmy-Jay Morgan ‘threat’

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Kevin Phillips was a man who produced many goalscoring heroics against Wolves throughout his career, but most notably in a West Brom shirt when he netted three goals in the two legs of Albion’s Championship play-off semi-final victory over their bitter rivals back in 2007.

The Albion frontmen will of course be so desperate to emulate something similar on Sunday, and Phillips has backed Jimmy-Jay Morgan to be the man to do it when the two sides meet this weekend.

As reported by the Express & Star’s Lewis Cox, Phillips has backed Morgan to be a ‘threat’ against Wolves in the clash and will have a massive part to play if the visitors are to earn a positive result.

Phillips said: “He came in with a bit of pressure and expectation but got off to a flyer in pre-season and has taken it into the league.

“Yes (he will be relishing it), I’m 100 per cent sure he and young team-mates will be looking forward to it.

Wolves at the weekend.

“You give him half-a-chance or sniff around that box - he'll score. They're going to have to be very aware of him.”

Jimmy-Jay Morgan’s instant impact for West Brom

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Kevin Phillips has every reason to be excited about the role Jimmy-Jay Morgan can play for West Brom on Sunday, with the summer signing making an instant impact on his debut season in the Championship.

The signs were set in pre-season, with Morgan netting seven times, before grabbing his first competitive brace for the club as they thumped Rotherham United in the opening round of the Carabao Cup.

A £4m arrival from Chelsea, Morgan set out what he could bring to the table on the opening day of the second tier term at Norwich City, assisting their opening goal from Aune Heggebo, before showing superb composure on a mazy run to double Albion’s advantage in East Anglia, with the Baggies going on to secure a 2-1 victory.

Morgan would follow that up in their first home game of the season with an assist in another victory over Burnley, before getting back on the scoresheet at Middlesbrough, with a precise headed finish bringing Albion back level at the time.

The talented 20-year-old would go on to add another goal to his Albion collection, securing the winning goal with a scruffy effort against Watford, while once again getting the assist for Heggebo’s clinical finish at Derby County, as Albion, against all the odds, went on to win despite being down to 10 men for over an hour.

That means from his first nine games of competitive action in the blue and white stripes, Morgan has notched five goals and three assists, making him the standout player to watch from the West Brom corner this weekend.

Jimmy-Jay Morgan will be vital to any West Brom success at Molineux

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Jimmy-Jay Morgan could not have wished for a better start in a West Brom shirt.

The 20-year-old has settled into Championship life like a duck to water and has been a continual threat in the final third throughout the early stages of the campaign, leading to him winning the EFL Young Player of the Month award for August.

Morgan’s success has also been dependent on his partnership with Aune Heggebo. The Norwegian’s stretching of defences through his relentless running has ensured Morgan has had more space to operate in, with the forward taking the opportunities when presented.

Possessing the eye for a cutting-edge pass to create a chance as well as being lethal when shooting in the box himself, Morgan has all the attributes to be the standout forward in the division this season, and if Albion are to get a positive result at the weekend, he is bound to have played an integral role.

Rested last week against Queens Park Rangers in preparation for the derby, Morgan should be raring to go and will be relishing the prospect of writing himself into the latest chapter of West Brom’s history.