Dean Wilkins has played down the possibility of becoming Albion's manager on a permanent basis.

He refuses to look beyond tomorrow night's home game against Bournemouth after launching his caretaker reign on Saturday with a 1-0 win at Millwall.

Wilkins, assisted by Dean White following last Thursday's sacking of Mark McGhee, said: "If it comes then I will consider it but I genuinely just work from day to day, doing my best for every individual and the club. I love the club but those decisions are totally beyond my control."

McGhee's departure, together with his assistant Bob Booker, caught Wilkins by surprise. He said: "For me it was totally out of the blue, the timing of it. I've spoken to Mark since and he has given me his best wishes, Bob the same. I've got a lot of respect for them and I've just moved on from there.

"It's been mad, absolutely manic. The time when I felt most relaxed was when I went on the training ground for the first time on Friday morning.

"That is where I do my work, where I feel most comfortable, trying to help players and putting on sessions."

Albion will be without captain Richard Carpenter against Bournemouth, Leyton Orient at Withdean on Saturday and at Southend in the Carling Cup a week tomorrow following his first-half red card for a jump tackle on Millwall's Filipe Morais.

Wilkins admitted: "You can't make a two-footed tackle so you take the consequences."