January brings the new year with the transfer window opening, resolutions and all importantly in the football calendar the third round of the FA Cup. It all begins this weekend as the magic of the cup rolls round the country as the Baggies head to high flying Premier League side Bournemouth looking to give them a cup set.
Bournemouth is the team we’ve drawn to in the third round of the Cup as we play them in the third round on Saturday. It is a break from league action after playing 4 games in 9 days round Christmas and still looking for a manager to take over but looks certain one would be appointed this weekend. This could be the last game that Chris Brunt takes interim charge before a new manager takes over at The Hawthorns against Stoke on the 18th.
FA Cup does bring the joys to many football fans hoping for a cupset there has been some good draws in this round where Tottenham head to Tamworth and a dream for Accrington Stanley fans who are they? on a milk advert head to Anfield. However, the Baggies are looking to give Bournemouth a shock as they are looking for a European place in the Premier League as we are playing for a play-off place in the Championship. I think both sides would rest their key players in this Cup tie and think this is a unpredictable game to predict but I would hope to get into the 4th round and hope for a trip to Anfield or a derby at Villa Park or Molineux this time round.
Player To Watch – Bournemouth
I think Bournemouth would rest there key players for this clash as they never tend to go for the cups and they did have a cup shock a few years ago when Boreham Wood beat them in their home turf 1-0.
If Bournemouth are going to play their strong squad I’m going for Antoine Semenyo I think he be used in the second half and he be giving our rotated side a few problems I think he could get on the right foot for the Cherries and could give them a boost in their cup tie.
I say he would score past us if he does play as most key players when we go away always does that such as when Joe Allen came on for Swansea last weekend and did the unexpected but I’m going for Semenyo and he has the ability to give us a FA Cup nightmare come Saturday.
Player To Watch – West Brom
Harry Whitwell the young West Brom player would be my player to watch on Saturday, he would start in the cup clash and would try and become the next Tom Fellows as he would think this is the perfect game to show why he should be in the shout of been a regular player in the Championship.
He does have the potential to become a key player in the near future as he is already oing well for the Under 21 side with 5 goals this season and in the Cup games he does give his all and at 19 years of age he has a lot to give and should be in with a shout of playing in the league games this season. If he does play well in this fixture and try and get an assist or a goal then Whitwell has a good future ahead of him at The Hawthorns.
My Line Up V Bournemouth
A changed line up, I would start a few young players against Bournemouth and give them game time experience, Wildsmith would go in goal and have a unusual back 4 of Frabotta, Caleb Taylor would get a start after his loan spell at Wycombe and would start with Kyle Bartley and Reece Hall.
Midfield I play Whitwell and Mowatt and have Mikey Johnston and Reyes Cleary in the wing and up front I would start Devante Cole and partner him alongside Josh Maja. I would give some young players a chance and partner them with experienced players so they can learn from this cup tie at Bournemouth.
Prediction V Bournemouth
Predictions in the FA Cup is tough and this one fixture is the toughest when the draw came out, Bournemouth is a tough place to go to and we haven’t played there since August 2021 in a 1-1 draw on a Friday night in the first game of the 2021-22 season.
This one game I think it be end to end and I say within the first 10 minutes West Brom would get an opener and Devante Cole would make it 1-0 and have his first goal for the club with a 1 V 1 through the keeper to give the Baggies the lead.
The lead would last until half time where the Baggies would be 1-0 up in the cup tie and hoping we could get past a Premier League oppostion. In the second half Bournemouth would make changes and eventually there key player Antoine Semenyo would come on around the 65th minute. Nothing would really happen since our opening goal but within 10 minutes to go Bournemouth would score from a corner with Semenyo taking and hitting Caleb Taylor head and would accidently go in to get Bournemouth back into the game with an own goal since coming back from Wycombe.
The game would finish 1-1 at Bournemouth and would draw the game after 90 minutes of football, meaning there is no replays in the FA Cup it would be another 30 minutes of football. In extra time we would try and secure it but some of our chances would be off target and in the second half of extra time with 5 minutes left to play Bournemouth would get the lead with Enes Unal firing us out of the FA Cup in extra time to give the Cherries a place in the 4th round and give the Baggies a FA Cup third round heartbreak.
Prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 West Brom (After Extra Time)
Goalscorers for Bournemouth: Caleb Taylor (OG), Enes Unal
Goalscorers for West Brom: Devante Cole
I’m going for a defeat here in the FA Cup, I don’t think we would look back come end of the season if that result happens and think we knocked out early in the cup we did this at Fleetwood in August and am predicting this same outcome on Saturday. I hope I am wrong but Bournemouth are a quality Premier League side and would look to get past this round against a good Championship side, it is unpredictable to predict but I think the Cherries would have a sneaky victory here.