Coventry v WBA - Lewis Cox preview
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:01Baggish fans, hello. Welcome to ExpressingStar.com.
00:04Albion reporter Lewis Cox here, and thankfully the rain has disappeared from earlier.
00:09When I pulled up here before the press conference, it was raining.
00:12So I did fear for the old video in the trusty background, but fear not.
00:16Since we spoke to Torbjorn Heggen actually today, the player of the season award winner this week,
00:22and Tony Mowbray, the sun has emerged happily.
00:25But enough about the weather, because there is news on the back of Tony Mowbray's pre-Coventry City press conference,
00:32and the news is, well there's a bit of news, but the main news, which has just been published on our website,
00:38and you can read now, I'm sure you have, is that defender Carr Bartley,
00:41the club's experienced vice-captain defender, has triggered an appearance-related clause in his contract
00:47to sign and agree and extend a further 12 months at the club.
00:51Bartley, as we know, has been here since 2018, a good long time now.
00:55He's a big presence, big leader among the group.
00:59And he's clocked up a fair few games, I think it's 220, or certainly north of 200 league appearances alone.
01:06And Tony Mowbray revealed the news to me in the press conference there,
01:09when I asked about the status of Bartley, obviously the deal he was on expired in the summer,
01:16but for that clause.
01:17And he has played 27 games this season, which says to me, I will check this,
01:22but it says to me the clause was at 25 games.
01:24That is a general number, I think 25 or maybe 30 for a player of Bartley's age.
01:30He's 33 turning 34 next month, so the one-year deal last year was quite a smart one really,
01:37because it incentivised as in, if he can show physically he can play that number of games,
01:43then he will be rewarded, obviously, with an extra 12 months.
01:46And he has, look, he's played 27 games this season, missed a few through suspensions
01:51and the one or two earlier in the season.
01:53He does, you know, with his age, the club do manage his physical condition with his knee.
01:58He had a bit of minor surgery, I think, earlier in this calendar year, actually, on that.
02:03And when it comes to Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, he doesn't always, you know,
02:06can't always play each one of those in a three-game week.
02:09But no, I think, and again, you can read the quotes from Tony Mowbray on our website,
02:13I agree with the head coach in that, I think it's good news.
02:15And Mowbray actually, as said, he's actually been impressed with Bartley's physicality
02:21when it comes to speed, really.
02:23You know, one-on-ones, he can cope with pacey players in the division still,
02:27despite his ageing years.
02:29So, good for Bartley, really.
02:30I think it's an important part of business for the summer.
02:33The players will leave, there will be another turnover,
02:36but to keep a bit of that core, a bit of that experience and know-how
02:40and trusted leadership voice is important, I think, for the summer.
02:44So, a bit of news there.
02:46A bit of early summer contract talk news, really.
02:49There are other, you know, first-team players, Shemi Ajayi, a fellow defender,
02:52the likes of John Swift, Grady and Ian Garner,
02:54who are big players who are out of contract this summer.
02:56And I guess, you know, decisions, if they haven't already been made,
03:00you know, on those players who have been inconsistent,
03:03have been, in Ajayi's case, unavailable.
03:06But in Swift and Ian Garner's case, you know, we've spoke about them at length
03:09before on the podcast and stuff.
03:11You know, it feels unlikely, really, that they will extend their time at the club.
03:15But, you know, news on that will, of course, come in due course
03:18with four games of the season left to play.
03:20And that starts at Coventry on Friday, on Good Friday, for what is it?
03:24Just a huge clash.
03:25That's obviously what we've been here to preview today.
03:28Sixth place Coventry against seventh place Albion.
03:30Three points separate Tony Mowbray's side from his former employers above Albion.
03:35And, of course, if the visitors at the CBS Arena secure a victory,
03:39they will leapfrog their hosts due to a better goal difference and go above Coventry.
03:44Which means a place in the top six, a place in the playoffs is in Albion's hands.
03:48You know, they can go and beat Coventry to get back to six after the recent slip.
03:51And then three games left.
03:53Three games against three of the current bottom four, by the way.
03:55Which may look easy, but will be by no means easy.
03:59Due to those three clubs, you know, Derby, Cardiff, Luton,
04:02scrapping for their absolute lives and existence in this division.
04:05So a lot to play for.
04:07Just to bring you to finish off this video, a bit of team news for Coventry.
04:11There's some positive news in the form of Jed Wallace, club captain winger.
04:16He'll be on the bench, Tony Mowbray has told us.
04:18He's trained for the best part of a week.
04:19Wallace has been missing for two and a bit months or so.
04:22And Mowbray said, you know, it's not until you see Wallace back in training,
04:26you realise the kind of the personality and character and attitude that has been,
04:32not lacking, but, you know, that he hasn't been able to bring in the time he's been away.
04:36And the quality he still has to boot, you know, Albin.
04:38I haven't necessarily had, you know, other natural right wing options
04:42to compete with Tom Fellows and stuff with, you know, with Wallace's absence.
04:48So, yeah, good that he's back to bring that competition and sort of experience
04:53and leadership for the running.
04:55Shemi Ajayi has training today.
04:57It's been a little while, been out for the best part of two months as well.
05:00Friday will come too soon for him.
05:02It's touch and go with the likes of Usman Diakite with Tamibani.
05:05They'll sort of see if they haven't trained yet.
05:07They'll see if they can tomorrow.
05:09That's Thursday for potentially giving them a chance for Friday.
05:13But maybe Monday against Derby is better for those pair.
05:15And I'll bring you a little video snippet exclusive on top scorer Josh Madger.
05:21Now, this story isn't going on our website until first thing Thursday morning.
05:26But if you've made it to the end of the video, well done.
05:29And Tony Mulberry's told me on Madger that today, I think for the first time,
05:32or certainly one of the first couple of occasions,
05:36Madger's been out on the grass, you know, in his sort of full kit,
05:39doing the running, the sprinting, the turns, the jumping.
05:43And that's the first time Mulberry has seen that.
05:45He's optimistic, really.
05:46And I think with four games left of the regular season and three games,
05:52there's a beat there, probably from one of the media lads at the club.
05:55So thanks for that.
05:57But yeah, with four games of the regular season left,
06:01three weeks of it left, if it doesn't go to playoffs, obviously,
06:04which Albion hope it does, there's a chance Madger could feature.
06:08Now, obviously, he's not in training yet, contact training, full training.
06:11But I don't sense off the back of that press conference that he's too long away.
06:15Really, maybe a week, maybe 10 days, I don't know.
06:18But as Mulberry said, and you can read tomorrow, Madger should be close.
06:22And really, if he's going to have a chance of playing in the last game,
06:25the last two games, maybe, it's now or never really,
06:28he has to return to training soon.
06:29So watch his space on that one.
06:31As ever, read more on the website.
06:32As ever, we'll be at, you know, I'll be at Coventry on Friday,
06:35bringing all of the updates from it.
06:37So get stuck into the preview.
06:39And obviously, I'll have all the reaction from Coventry.
06:41A sold-out CBS Arena.
06:42A huge six-pointer for the playoffs.
06:44Keep it at ExpressenStar.com.