Albion boss Oscar Garcia insists his out-of-form team are still capable of defying the financial odds and reaching the play-offs.

They can move back to within a point of the top six by winning their game in hand at Blackburn Rovers tomorrow night, despite a hat-trick of defeats completed by another 2-0 setback at the Amex against Middlesbrough. Oscar told The Argus: “We did a lot of good things before and because of this we are there and we deserve to be there.

“It’s not easy to be there because we have a lot of big teams with big budgets above us and some of them below us.

“I am thinking we have a chance to win on Tuesday. All the games are important but the most important is always the next one.”

Albion were booed off at half-time by some fans before second-half goals by Albert Adomah and Danny Graham, divided by a wayward penalty miss by Leo Ulloa, condemned them to the latest blow to their challenge.

Oscar said of the boos: “Normally I am the first one to go to the dressing room and I didn’t hear them. It’s normal. We play for the fans and if they are not happy they can do this.

“I can only say good things about our fans because they are supporting us all the time and they are clever fans.

“They know we don’t have the biggest budget on the table. We have a mid-table budget and to be another year fighting for this high position is a good thing for the club.”

Will Buckley is expected to miss the visit to Ewood Park after a recurrence of hamstring trouble forced him off in the first half.