Having enjoyed only a brief flirtation with the Premiership last season, Gary Megson and his players are keen to make a quick return to life in the top flight. West Brom have started the campaign in fine form, and are currently top of the First Division, and, furthermore, the Baggies have already dumped Manchester United out of the Carling Cup. One player determined to have another crack at the Premiership is central defender Phil Gilchrist. The 29-year-old missed the second half of last season, after picking up a knee injury, but now fully fit he has been recalled to the first team and is showing the kind of form which helped the club to a record 27 clean sheets two years ago. Givemefootball's Mark Shail spoke to Gilchrist as West Brom prepared for Saturday's home game against Crewe.
Q:YOU MUST BE DELIGHTED WITH THE START WEST BROM HAVE MADE?
A:Yes, we are currently sitting on top of the table so we couldn't be happier with the start that we've made. To be perfectly honest, we haven't played as well as we know we can, but we have still been picking up the results.
Q:WERE YOU WORRIED THAT THERE WOULD BE A HANGOVER FROM LAST YEAR'S RELEGATION?
A:I don't think so because the manager has signed a number of new players this season and they have all fitted in very well. If we had started the season with the same squad that were relegated last year that might have been a problem, but we are all focussed on looking forward and moving on.
Q:WHICH OTHER SIDES HAVE IMPRESSED YOU THIS SEASON?
A:Sheffield United played very well when they came to the Hawthorns, but that performance might have flattered them a bit because we only had 48 hours to prepare for that game from our previous match. Sunderland and West Ham are two other sides who have impressed me.
Q:DID YOU ENJOY YOUR TIME IN THE PREMIERSHIP, DESPITE THE ULTIMATE SCENARIO?
A:Obviously it was disappointing to be relegated, but it was a great experience to compete against so many world-class players. Looking back, we let ourselves down in some of the matches by being a bit naïve, and there were too many individual errors that cost us goals, and ultimately points.
Q:HOW BIG IS THE STEP UP FROM THE FIRST DIVISION TO THE PREMIERSHIP?
A:It's a massive step-up because nearly all the sides are packed with international players. In the First Division you might get away with the odd slip-up, but in the Premiership you seemed to get punished for every mistake that we made.
Q:HOW DISAPPOINTED WERE YOU TO MISS THE END OF LAST SEASON THROUGH INJURY?
A:I tore the patella tendon in my knee and it took much longer to heal that I had hoped, so that was the most frustrating thing. But thankfully, I'm fully fit now and things are going well so hopefully I'll get another chance next season if we manage to win promotion.
Q:YOU MUST HAVE BEEN DELIGHTED TO HAVE BEATEN MANCHESTER UNITED IN THE CARLING CUP?
A:Any time you play against a side like Manchester United in a competitive game it's very satisfying to come out on top. I know they didn't field anywhere near what was their strongest team, but they still had a host of internationals in the line-up and I thought we matched them in every department.
Q:HOW ARE YOU ENJOYING WORKING WITH GARY MEGSON?
A:He works very hard at his job and has the complete respect of the players. There has been some speculation about him leaving the club but I think it would have to be a plum Premiership job to lure him away from the Hawthorns because this is a good club with great support.
