"Have a ding-dong" - Jed Wallace issues honest West Brom message amid Corberan decisions | OneFootball

The midfielder brought up a century of appearances for the Baggies at the weekend

West Bromwich Albion club captain Jed Wallace admits he is happy to bide his time in returning to the Baggies’ starting line-up, as long as they are producing the goods on the pitch.

The former Millwall man racked up his 100th appearance for Albion after coming on as a substitute in the 1-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle at the weekend, having joined the club in the summer of 2022.

The midfielder has been a virtual ever-present since then, although he is yet to start a Championship match this season, due to the impressive starts made by his teammates.

Carlos Corberan has continued to put his trust in the same players for the majority of the campaign to date, with the Spaniard overseeing an unbeaten start to the season with five wins and a single draw, leaving Wallace waiting in the wings for the time being.

Jed Wallace content despite lack of West Bromwich Albion game time

Wallace has played just 99 minutes of Championship football so far this season, with five substitute appearances for the club that find themselves top of the league at this early stage of the campaign.

Having been a regular starter for both Millwall and then Albion during his career, it has been a different role for the 30-year-old at the beginning of 24/25, but the midfielder is content with his place in the squad as results continue to come on the pitch.

Wallace said to BBC West Midlands, via the Shropshire Star: “I’ve started 45 games a season for seven or eight years so I’m not going to throw my toys out the pram or have a ding-dong after four or five games on the bench. If I sit and come on for 20 minutes and we win every game I’ll be a happy man at the end of the season.

“Everyone in the dressing room has their individual targets, the likes of me, Barts (Kyle Bartley), my target was not how many minutes I could play, it was how could we get this club promoted?

“That’s my primary target. Tom [Fellows] is playing that well you could probably take any other right winger in the whole league and they’d be sat there watching, because he’s at the top of his game right now.”

Adaptability key to Jed Wallace role under Carlos Corberan

Throughout his career, Wallace has always been a dependable figure, and his versatility has been called upon of late to play not only on the wings but also in a more central role.

His experience of playing in 460 Football League matches to date make him one of the elder statesman of the Baggies dressing room, with Corberan leaning on that flexibility when needed this season.

The victory over Argyle on Saturday made it five wins out of six for Wallace and his teammates, with their only dropped points of the season coming in a stalemate against Leeds United.

With confidence in the camp as high as ever, the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers man is eager to keep the spirit going for as long as possible, as the hunt for promotion to the Premier League continues.

He continued: “I’ve been playing different roles in the last seven or eight months, coming on for Josh (Maja) or playing up front last season, I’ll do whatever the manager asks me and will always support him.

“There’s been that much competition for places. It’s also helped there be no complacency in the 11 because they know if we don’t get a result the manager can make five or six changes. If the lads on the bench don’t train well we’ve got Devante Cole, Stylesy. Paddy McNair not even on the bench.

“I’ve really enjoyed the first six weeks of the season. The togetherness at the training ground has always been there but now we’re starting to really get that belief we can be one of the top teams in the league.”

Jed Wallace on West Bromwich Albion century

Since making his debut a little over two years ago, Wallace has been a regular in the Black Country, with his 100th appearance on Saturday testament to his dedication to the Albion cause.

Having started all but four matches in the previous two campaigns, it has been something of a different role of late, but the Albion star is eager to get more games under his belt as the season progresses.

He added: “My availability is something I’ve always prided myself on, not missing games or training.

“To get to that milestone in just over two seasons is something I’m really proud of. Most have been 90 minutes, it’s slightly different at the moment but I always know I can contribute on or off the pitch.

“Hopefully there are many more to come and at the end of the season we can be in a different division with some luck and if we keep working hard.”