Ryan Mason facing worrying West Brom double blow ahead of Ipswich Town | OneFootball

West Brom boss Ryan Mason has confirmed that Alfie Gilchrist and Jayson Molumby will miss the trip to Ipswich Town this weekend.

West Brom boss Ryan Mason has confirmed that Alfie Gilchrist and Jayson Molumby won’t feature in Saturday’s game against Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

The Baggies have had an inconsistent start to the campaign under the new boss, and they fell to a disappointing defeat against Watford on Wednesday night - just four days after defeating Preston North End at The Hawthorns.

It was another frustrating trip on the road for Albion, whose last away game was a 3-0 loss to Millwall, and they came away with the same amount of points from Vicarage Road.

Now, attention turns to the Tractor Boys, with Albion set to make the trip to Suffolk looking for their sixth win of the season.

Ryan Mason provides update on Alfie Gilchrist and Jayson Molumby

However, it appears Albion will have to do without two players who many fans would’ve wanted to see in the starting 11.

That’s after Mason told the Express & Star that Gilchrist’s injury picked up against the Hornets is likely to keep him out, whilst Molumby, who missed the trip to Vicarage Road, won’t be fit in time to play after suffering an issue with Ireland over the recent international break.

“He (Gilchrist) had an incident in the first half, obviously got through it and then thought he'd be OK," Mason said.

"But then another incident happened in the second half where he wasn't able to carry on. Normally with ankles, if you have to come off, it's very rare. They turn around in a matter of days, so we'll have to see.

“We didn't think it was a problem (for Molumby). He came on (against Preston) and it worsened, so he wasn't able to make Watford.

"The reality is he probably won't be able to make the weekend either. I think when you're away with your national team, there's a lot of adrenaline and a lot of emotion that goes into it. We thought he was OK, but unfortunately he isn't.”

West Brom’s squad will be tested ahead of crucial upcoming period

This is obviously far from ideal for Albion, as both players are very important for different reasons.

Firstly, Gilchrist is the main senior right-back option at the club following Darnell Furlong’s sale, with Mason turning to centre-back George Campbell as backup.

Sadly for West Brom, the American has struggled in that role, which is understandable as it’s not his natural position, and that was the case against Watford as well, who seemed to target the left flank in the second half.

Meanwhile, Molumby brings a lot to the team with his energy and ability to win the ball back, so with the Irishman joining Toby Collyer on the sidelines, it means Albion are stretched for options in the middle of the park right now.

Therefore, it's likely that Ousmane Diakite will partner Alex Mowatt once again this weekend after making just his second start under the new boss in the defeat to Watford.

Despite Ipswich’s struggles this season, they still boast an outstanding squad by Championship standards, so it’s certain to be a stern test for Mason’s men. But, West Brom still have a lot of quality in their ranks, so they will fancy their chances.

This is the first of four games in a two-week period, so Mason will hope that the duo can return to action before the November international break.