Paddy McCourt is poised to make his third appearance for Albion in the Capital One Cup at Burton tomorrow night.

How long for and whether Sami Hyypia decides to use him from the start or as a substitute is hard to know.

Either way, McCourt is unlikely to be on the pitch at the Pirelli Stadium for 90 minutes.

The maverick attacking midfielder has grown accustomed to beginning or ending up on the bench.

One manager after another has recognised his talent but been loathed to put total trust in him.

It remains to be seen whether Hyypia falls into the same bracket.

Or whether finally, at the age of 30, McCourt is about to maximise his undoubted gifts.

What McCourt is capable of with the ball has never been in dispute.

His career has been punctuated by eyecatching solo goals.

He opened his account at Celtic in League Cup tie at Falkirk by beating five defenders before chipping the keeper.

He left a similar number of opponents bamboozled scoring for Barnsley against Middlesbrough last season.

The Amex faithful witnessed for themselves how good McCourt can be in a shock 2-1 win for struggling Barnsley last December.

The mercurial Northern Irishman starred that night and scored, breaking through the middle and exchanging passes with Marcus Tudgay to end the struggling Yorkshiremen's five hours-plus goal drought.

It is that kind of ability which attracted Premier League Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers to McCourt during his first spell in England as a youngster at Rochdale.

Dubbed the 'Derry Pele' at his home town club, West Brom and Norwich had also agreed terms for McCourt in 2008 when he opted instead for the emotional pull of Gordon Strachan's Celtic, the club he supported as a boy.

“@Shuggie556: Glasgow Celtic Paddy McCourt new song: http://t.co/egTQW8vrQq via @YouTube” @mich_orourke

— Aidan O'Brien (@AidOBrien98) September 21, 2014

 

Why did he make only 20 starts in five years at the Scottish giants?

Why did he make only 15 starts in the Championship last season after joining Barnsley?

Why have twice as many of his last 90 league appearances been from the bench as from the kick-off?

The answer lies in the type of player McCourt is and his own make-up.

During his time at Celtic McCourt remarked: "I am one of those guys who, when injured, loses fitness quickly."

Injuries and fitness levels have always been a dissuading feature.

McCourt's season at Barnsley under three different managers encapsulated the dilemmas.

He shone in spells under former Rochdale team-mate David Flitcroft and caretaker Micky Mellon.

Even in that match at the Amex under Mellon, however, McCourt was substituted with 15 minutes left.

The last time he lasted 90 minutes was in the game before, a 3-0 home defeat by Birmingham which resulted in the sack for Flitcroft.

Once former Albion captain Danny Wilson took charge again at Oakwell, McCourt gradually dropped out of the picture.

The traits for which McCourt has always been questioned - work ethic without the ball, tracking back - were more what Wilson was looking for in Barnsley's ultimately vain fight against relegation.

McCourt has already demonstrated glimpses of his quality for Hyypia's Albion in substitute appearances at Swindon and, briefly towards the finish, against Blackpool at the Amex on Saturday.

He is the type of defence-unlocker they need to overcome their current struggles in the final third.

But he will also have to prove his fitness and willingness to contribute out of possession to make a meaningful impact this season under Hyypia.