Shane Duffy went through the agony and the hilarity after breaking his nose.

But he is hoping that moment of pain might just have helped clear him for action at Barnsley tomorrow.

The big centre-back needed to change out of his blood-spattered shorts and undergo running repairs after his nose came into collision with Adam Chambers’ elbow in the 1-1 draw with Ipswich.

Fans did not know for sure the extent of his injury until he tweeted about “a broken snout” after the game.

But they had a laugh – and Duffy joined in once the pain had gone.

He told The Argus: “I’ve broken my nose three times. It’s nothing new to me.

“I knew I had done it straight away “But I didn’t know the physio was going to pop it straight back in. That hurt!

“He said, ‘Let’s have a look at it’ and then crunched it back in. That was a surprise and the blood started.

“But I’m happy the way he did it. It could have been a lot worse.”

Once that shock had gone, he was able to enjoy a laugh as he changed shorts.

Fans in the North Stand burst into a chorus, “Shane Duffy, we’ve all seen your a..e!”

Duffy said: “It made me chuckle, to be fair. It was quite funny.

“I’ve looked after my nose. I’ve got two kids – ages two and one – and one of them nearly gave me a good whack the other night. So I have had to keep away.”

Duffy accepts Albion have not been at their best on the road of late and that the trend dates back to when they were still winning.

The Argus:

But he will be happy enough to take points over performance as the race continues.

That begins in what looks a real test as they chase what would be only the club’s second win in 45 years at Oakwell.

He said: “The main thing is about results. When you are winning, it covers cracks if you haven’t played well.

“There have been times when we have won at Birmingham, won at Fulham and haven’t played well.

“There have been more of late where we haven’t got results and, because of that, the performances have been talked about.

“There have been games where we have dominated.

“I think we dominated Ipswich. We had the better chances and we should have won the game.

“Them scoring early killed us and so did the way they played.

“We know when we have played well and when we haven’t.

“The main thing is the results and I would take a bad performance and three points.”

There is an old theory that teams should be judged by the strength of the players they leave on the bench.

Maybe they can also be assessed by how low they go, and for how long, in their bad periods.

There is a feeling around the Albion camp that, if it stops here, the current dip is not too bad as barren periods go.

The Argus:

They remain unbeaten at home since mid-September but have had to get used to the unusual sensation of miserable trips back from northern destinations.

Duffy said: “We are confident that we are getting back to where we were. I think everyone knows we are strong at home. We play well at home.

“Away performances need to be a bit better. We have got to go to other grounds and play as we do at home. We haven’t done it for the last three or four away games.

“I think that is what we will aim to do. Play our game and show everyone how good we are.”

Duffy’s sore nose has given him a constant reminder of the day job while at home with his young family.

But he is not the type to switch off anyway. He does not feel the need, even in the business end of the campaign.

He said: “I watch football every day if it’s on. That is all I really do. I can’t relax. I’ve got two kids!

“I think this period is just the same as the first game of the season. That is how you have got to look at it.

“I know it is getting close to the important time but why change things when you have done so well to get where you are? I think everybody has that mentality.

“It’s a great changing room to be involved in. Even when you are down, you are not down for long.

“I know people get a little bit down when you don’t win every single game. But, if this is our down bit, it is not that bad compared to most clubs.

“Even Newcastle have lost more games than us and they are up there.

“We have got good home games coming up and, if we win them, we are in a great position for the last ten games to get over the line.”