Steve Coppell made an interesting point when he said Albion's survival prospects could depend on avoiding injury to key players in the last weeks of the season.

They are still without Michel Kuipers, although big Dave Beasant has proved a more than adequate replacement in goal, while Paul Kitson is still struggling which is a shame because, fully fit, he would be an asset to them up front.

One player Steve must be tempted to wrap in cotton wool is Bobby Zamora because he is absolutely crucial to their hopes of staying up.

I saw Bobby get his 11th league goal of the season last Saturday. Considering he's missed part of the season with injury and then suspension that's not a bad haul, especially in a side which has struggled to score goals.

Put it this way, all of Albion's rivals down at the bottom would fancy their chances of getting out of trouble if they had Bobby leading their line.

I can see Bobby getting that total up to 20 by the end of the season if he stays fit. But if he gets injured then it's going to be awfully difficult for Albion to stay up.

If the unthinkable does happen then I believe the club will have to move heaven and earth and bring in a new striker before the transfer deadline in a fortnight's time. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

I wasn't surprised that the lads bounced back to beat Rotherham last Saturday.

Rotherham boss Ronnie Moore praised Albion's spirit afterwards which is some compliment from a manager who has moulded his own team along similar lines.

Forest was always going to be hard followed by another difficult away game against Sheffield United up at Bramall Lane.

Like Albion, they seem to have a great team spirit but at some stage their hectic schedule is going to catch up on them and there's no reason why we can't go up there and get some sort of a result. Apparently United fans have to turn up to guarantee an FA Cup semi-final ticket so there should be no lack of atmosphere.

The results of the struggling teams last weekend didn't really surprise me.

It is dawning on all four of them just what is at stake and all the managers concerned have a reputation for motivating their teams. Expect a few more shocks before the season is out.

It's just a pity that the gap between Albion and the teams above them is probably too big to bridge although if Derby carry on in their current nightmare form they could still get sucked in. The same applies to Walsall.

Survival with 48 or 49 points this season is possible and both those clubs are still a little way off that benchmark.

Talking of Sheffield United, what a marvellous achievement by Neil Warnock and his side to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

And I'm also delighted that my old club Watford are there as well. I'd love the Hornets to go all the way, but I fancy Southampton will beat them in the semi and go on to face Chelsea at Cardiff.

Saturday Mar 15