MX23RW : Thursday, November 7 17:51:15| >> :600:333712:333712:

Rekeem Harper: 'West Brom cannot afford to take Harrogate for granted'

Rekeem Harper: 'West Brom cannot afford to take Harrogate for granted'
© Reuters
The Baggies face the League Two newcomers for the first time in their history on Wednesday.

Rekeem Harper has warned West Brom they cannot afford to underestimate minnows Harrogate.

The Baggies host the EFL newcomers in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday as overwhelming favourites.

Albion lost 3-0 at home to Leicester on Sunday as they returned to the Premier League after a two-year absence.

They face Everton and Chelsea in the top flight this month and Harper knows the importance of their cup clash.

"You can't take any team for granted," said the midfielder. "We have to pay them great respect and they've had a fantastic season last year and you see a lot of disappointments in the cups.

"We have to match their hunger and the intensity that they're going to bring to us and then show our quality.

"It could be a first competitive start in a new season for me so it's a chance to propel myself into the manager's thoughts and a lot of the other players will be out to prove a point.

"During the first game of the season we all got a taste of what the Premier League's like.

"We matched their intensity in the first half and with the mentality of the group, it's just a little setback because we didn't come here to be passengers – we came here to do everything to win matches."

Harper was a second-half substitute against the Foxes as Albion conceded three second-half goals, including two Jamie Vardy penalties, to slip to defeat.

The 20-year-old made 13 appearances in all competitions last term as the Baggies finished second in the Sky Bet Championship.

He told the club's official website: "The manager (Slaven Bilic) has seen a lot of change in me in terms of mentality, work-rate and consistency in performances and he said that I was going to get opportunities, so the manager has stuck to his word.

"I feel like Wednesday's game is very important. First things first, I hope we win the game and I hope we play well because when you win games it breeds confidence and creates a positive atmosphere around the group."

ID:414410: cacheID:414410:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3250:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Charlton boss Lee Bowyer on February 8, 2020
Read Next:
The big talking points ahead of EFL Cup second round
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Port Vale149322315830
2Walsall1382326141226
3Notts County1475222121026
4Doncaster RoversDoncaster148242016426
5Crewe AlexandraCrewe137331612424
6Chesterfield1457228151322
7Bradford CityBradford146442015522
8MK Dons146352116521
9BarrowBarrow146351511421
10Grimsby Town147071825-721
11Gillingham146261512320
12Salford City145541416-220
13AFC Wimbledon11614189919
14Newport CountyNewport146171824-619
15Fleetwood TownFleetwood134631915418
16Cheltenham TownCheltenham145271821-317
17Harrogate TownHarrogate144371119-815
18Bromley133551517-214
19Tranmere RoversTranmere13355816-814
20Accrington StanleyAccrington133461522-713
21Colchester UnitedColchester132651620-412
22Swindon TownSwindon142661520-512
23Carlisle UnitedCarlisle1422101228-168
24Morecambe141491225-137


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!