When teams take on Albion, they are up against not one Gross but two.

On the pitch their Player of the Season, in the stands the father who has shaped what he has become.

Somewhere at Turf Moor next Saturday, Stephan Gross will be sitting and hoping his son plays a key role in a win which could clinch Premier League safety.

It has been the same, home and away, for the previous 34 games. Gross senior travels from the family home in Mannheim in south-west Germany in support of Pascal.

"My dad has watched all the games, home and away," Pascal said.

"For example, the next game at Burnley, he'll fly over on Friday, go back on Sunday.

"Last time he came on Friday, left on Wednesday, because it was Palace, then Tottenham.

"Home games it is easier, because he is not alone. There are always some friends or my mum and sister who come when they can, but he is the only one who is here every time. Then after and before the game he's with me, so it's nice to spend time with his son.

"Away he is on his own and his English, to be fair, is not so good. It's tougher to be from Friday to Sunday in a city you don't know. But he does everything to see the games, to give me a feeling he's behind me. I really feel his support, feel the power he gives me."

Stephan's influence extends beyond a doting dad eager to watch his son in action. A player himself in the Bundesliga for Karlsruher SC, Gross senior was also Pascal's coach in his formative years.

"He trained me for five years," Pascal (below) said. "He was my coach in my home town before I moved to Hoffenheim. He did everything for me and other players.

The Argus: "He trained a lot of players that are now professional players. One of them, Hakan Calhanoglu, who plays for AC Milan, and some other players in the Bundesliga.

"He was an excellent coach for me, as a footballer but also as a human. All the stuff, how to behave, the discipline, how to work, also how to behave in social life I learnt from him, so I really have to say thank you."

Following in his father's footsteps was always the grand plan for Gross. Talent, desire and dedication has seen him succeed where so many others fall by the wayside.

He played for Karlsruher as well after making his Bundesliga debut for Hoffenheim before he was 18. But there were doubts along the way.

"You have some moments, of course," Gross said. "You go to the second team to play more and when you are not playing at the beginning, you have a contract, you don't earn that much money, you have to think about your future.

"Especially in Germany, because at the lower league clubs you don't earn big money so you have to think about studying or keep going.

"Some players, for example, play third league all their lives and have problems at 40 or 50 when they have done nothing else, so you have to think about your future.

"My family kept believing in me. I didn't have a long time where you didn't know which way it was going. I always believed in my dream.

"I was already in the Bundesliga. It wasn't the biggest risk to try. I never really thought about something else, because my dream was to be a professional football player.

"It's my job but it's also my passion. I get up in the morning, go to training. I'm happy that I can do what I love."

Much has already been achieved by Gross, 26. The Bundesliga, now the Premier League after moving from relegated Ingolstadt last summer for around £3.5 million.

The vote of almost four out of every ten supporters as the stand-out player for consistently intelligent and energetic performances, not to mention six goals and eight assists.

"A lot of dreams," Gross said. "I'm very proud of this trophy, to be awarded best player of the season at a Premier League club.

"I'll keep going, try hard to play my best football, improve and then I'll see. I wasn't signing here to be the best player of the season, I want to go step-by step."

Gross senior will be behind him, every step of the way.