DARA O’SHEA IS being backed to play a significant role for West Bromwich Albion as they aim to achieve a swift return to the Premier League.
The Baggies, who were relegated from the top tier of English football last season, are currently in the play-off places in the Championship.
They arrested a run of four games without a win with Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Peterborough United, which leaves them seven points adrift of Blackburn Rovers (but with a game in hand), who occupy the second of the two automatic promotion spots.
First-team duty is imminent for O’Shea, who made a long-awaited return to action yesterday with a 45-minute run-out for his club’s U23 side.
The Ireland international has been sidelined since fracturing his ankle while playing for his country in the World Cup qualifier away to Portugal on 1 September.
Joe Chapman of the Birmingham Mail, who was in attendance for O’Shea’s first game in five months, is a guest on the latest episode of The Football Family – the weekly Irish football podcast – which is now available to The42 members.
“It was so unfortunate that [O'Shea] got injured when he did, because he hit the ground running in the Championship under Valerien Ismael,” says Chapman.
“He was becoming a really key player on the back of the frustration of the Premier League season under Sam Allardyce.
“It really felt like he was finding his feet and it was so unfortunate what happened when he was away with Ireland in that Portugal game.”
West Brom have conceded fewer goals than any other team in the Championship this season, but manager Valerien Ismael is likely to find a place in his defence for O’Shea nevertheless.
Great to see. 💙
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) January 25, 2022
Focus in on @dara_oshea_'s return to match action yesterday with our PL2 side. 🎥 pic.twitter.com/MA5SHOX1J6
“Despite having to go through so much of the season without Dara, West Brom’s defence has actually been the best in the division,” adds Chapman, who describes O’Shea’s return as “a big, big fillip” for the remainder of the campaign.
“But I would suggest – just with the gravitas of the player himself – that he would probably still walk back into this team when fully fit.
“They’ve had a couple of players who have done okay in his absence… but truly nobody has nailed down that spot on the right-hand side of the back three alongside Kyle Bartley and Matt Clarke.
“For me, when Dara is fully fit and ready to go again, I think Valerien Ismael will certainly ease him back into that team. It’s still very much his spot.”
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