Albion have been handed a major boost heading into a busy Championship schedule with the return to fitness of attacking stars, believes goalkeeper Alex Palmer.
Attacking duo John Swift, this season’s top goalscorer, and summer striker recruit Josh Maja returned to full training this week and are expected to be in contention for Saturday’s tussle with second-placed Ipswich Town.
The pair’s presence comes as a key lift for boss Carlos Corberan, who had to contend with limited senior squad options before the break. Brighton loanee Jeremy Sarmiento returned to availability in recent games and striker Daryl Dike is forecast at around a month from a comeback.
Goalkeeper Palmer has been in top form over the last couple of months following a tricky start to the season, and knows the return of key squad members will lift play-off hunting Albion.
“The more often we can have a fully fit squad, the more chances we’ve got,” said Palmer.
“Even with those injuries we’ve had massive impacts off the bench. We have quality players right through the squad, so whoever starts and whoever is on the bench, you can impact the game.
“The gaffer is massive on that. Having those guys back now, hopefully Dike in a few weeks, it’s only going to make the team stronger.”
Utility man Adam Reach, who Corberan has claimed a key figure, is also pushing for a return. A more forgotten figure is experienced defender Martin Kelly. The 33-year-old injured his ACL on loan at Wigan in February and this week returned to training. The club highlighted his comeback with a video of team-mates embracing the former Liverpool and Crystal Palace man.
The one-cap England full-back was a free agent signing in September 2022 and has made seven Albion appearances.
Palmer, 27, admitted Kelly’s return after a nine-month absence has lifted members of the squad. He added: “Mentioning Kells, he’s a top top guy first and foremost but when he’s had this sort of period away, you forget he’s a top player and will be a quality addition.
“He’s great to have around the group as well. I’m buzzing he’s back. I think the togetherness has always been there.
“You could see it last season with a tough period and then we eventually got going. We stuck together, there haven’t been too many changes, so the togetherness has always been there and it’s getting stronger with the players coming back to the group now.”
Palmer was one of several Albion players to jet out to Dubai during the international break after Corberan afforded his squad members some time off before a long run without any down time.
The goalkeeper joined team-mates Conor Townsend, Okay Yokuslu, Kyle Bartley and Alex Mowatt for some golf in the Middle East. Palmer, who admits himself as no more than a golfing novice, missed the mini-squad tournament.
He explained: “I think it was Conor’s team, Conor and Okay took the win. Barts wasn’t too happy about that. They’re quite competitive about that, but it shows the togetherness.
“I think Okay has only just started playing and he’s brave to go and play with those boys as they’re all pretty decent, but it’s nice that we spend time away from the training ground together. It shows the group we’ve got here.”
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