Same again would suit McCarthy

A number of key players missed the win against Birmingham, and although McCarthy is encountering a similar problem this week, he insisted he has no qualms about naming an unchanged team if necessary. He said: "They were brilliant last week, the team that played were excellent. I'd have to have a really good reason to leave them out." That reason may come in the form of winger Matt Jarvis, who is due to train on Saturday after shaking off the knee injury which kept him out of the 1-0 win at Molineux. Midfielder Dave Jones, who trained on Friday after recovering from a foot complaint, is also in contention. However, Kevin Doyle's injury is more serious than first thought. Scans have shown that he suffered a tear in his thigh and McCarthy is not sure how long the striker will be out. McCarthy insists he was not surprised at how well his makeshift team did last week. "It's almost like I've dragged them in from somewhere else," he said. "These players are part of my squad and I said last Friday that the team I had playing was a good team and they proved that on the Sunday, and that remains the same. "All those players think they should be in the team and they proved it last week, they were great." McCarthy singled out striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who provided the assist for Stephen Hunt's goal, for particular praise. "I think that's one of the best games he's had for us," McCarthy said. "That might be a surprise when you think of all the goals he scored, and he didn't get one. "But it's not only about scoring goals for centre forwards, there's all the other parts of his game and he did all that really well. If he plays like that he'll get his goals." West Brom are currently 11th in the Premier League and McCarthy has been impressed with their performances. The former Sunderland and Republic of Ireland manager said: "I think they're a good side. They've got good players who play some very good football."