Albion defenders Dan Harding and Adam Hinshelwood were handed a club and country boost today, thanks to an England injury crisis.

Peter Taylor's under-21 squad has been hit by three injury withdrawals including Dean Ashton of Crewe, Albion's next opponents.

Centre forward Ashton, West Ham's Nigel Reo-Coker and John Welsh of Liverpool are all out of the European Championship qualifiers against Wales at Blackburn's Ewood Park on Friday and away to Azerbaijan next Tuesday.

Former Albion boss Taylor has decided against calling up any replacements for a squad now reduced to 20 players, increasing Harding's and Hinshelwood's hopes of a place on the bench.

Taylor is expected to stick with Wigan's Leighton Baines at leftback. He played in the wins last month in Austria and Poland, when Harding was ruled out by a hamstring injury.

The versatile Hinshelwood is in the squad for the first time after impressing in a variety of roles for Albion this season.

Ashton's ankle injury, sustained in Saturday's 3-0 home win against Watford, casts doubts over his availability for Albion's visit on October 16.

Nine-goal Ashton had to go off and his seven-goal partner, Northern Ireland international Steve Jones, suffered a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Albert Jarrett, 19, plays for an Albion XI at Lewes tonight in a match arranged as part of the deal which brought him to the Seagulls.

The former MK Dons winger was recommended to Albion by Lewes manager Steven King following pre-season appearances for the Rooks.