Isaac Price Ready for Carabao Cup Clash at Newcastle

Isaac Price is not heading to Newcastle for the occasion. He is going for the test.

The West Bromwich Albion midfielder, fresh from a match-winning brace against Burnley, is itching to measure himself and his in-form team against Premier League opposition when they walk out at St James’ Park in the Carabao Cup second round on Wednesday night.

“All the lads are buzzing,” he told BBC WM Sport, the excitement obvious. These are the fixtures players circle in their heads the moment the draw is made: a big away tie, a top-flight club, a famous ground. “They are the games you want to be drawn in, in the cup – to go and play away at a Premier League team and at a place where we can go and show our quality. I can't wait.”

A fast start – with a warning attached

Albion arrive on Tyneside in the kind of mood that travels well. James Morrison’s side sit second in the Championship after winning both of their opening league fixtures, and they eased past League Two Rotherham United in round one of the EFL Cup to earn this trip to Newcastle United, who opened their league campaign with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at St James’ Park.

Momentum is building. Price’s two goals in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Burnley underlined his growing influence, but he has little interest in early-season back-slapping.

He has seen this film before.

“We had this last year – we started really well and it went downhill pretty fast,” he said, the memory still sharp. Under Ryan Mason, Albion’s bright opening in the previous campaign gave way to a slide that left them hanging on to their Championship status by the end. Form disintegrated, confidence followed, and the table told an uncomfortable story.

That experience has hardened Price’s outlook.

“Every game in the Championship is tough and it doesn't matter who you play,” he said. “So it is about keeping our feet on the ground, keeping a level of consistency in performances to make sure that doesn't happen again.”

Learning the details, owning the standards

Price talks like a player who has replayed last season’s failings in his head. The themes are clear: game management, key moments, and a ruthless edge that was missing too often.

“You are always learning as a player, even the lads who have played 2, 3, 400 games,” he said. “It's about managing games and moments – we conceded a lot of goals that we shouldn't have last season and we didn't score enough at the other end.”

He wants that to change, and not just in theory.

“This year I want to be a key player where I show that that can't happen and I want to be a leader in this team to make sure it doesn't happen.”

That is the personal challenge he is taking into nights like Newcastle: not simply to enjoy the stage, but to impose himself on it.

Morrison’s imprint on a club he knows by heart

If Price is searching for guidance, he does not have to look far. Morrison’s elevation from interim to permanent head coach has reshaped the mood at The Hawthorns.

The former Scotland international, who made 341 appearances for West Brom, stepped in after Eric Ramsay was sacked in February and promptly stitched together a ten-match unbeaten run that dragged the club away from the trapdoor to League One. That surge did not just secure survival; it secured him the job.

“It’s helpful for all the lads,” Price said. “He knows the club inside out.”

Morrison’s status in Baggies folklore is beyond dispute, but you would not know it from the way he carries himself around the training ground.

“He's really humble – you wouldn't know day to day how many games he played and how many goals he scored for West Brom because he doesn't talk about it, but he is a legend and the lads love him,” Price said.

Inside the dressing room, the connection is obvious. “He's good around the changing room and he understands what we need. We look really good on the pitch at the moment, so it is about building the consistency which is what he wants.”

That word again: consistency. It runs through Price’s assessment of where Albion have been and where they want to go. The Carabao Cup will not define their season, but it can sharpen their edge.

And on Wednesday, under the lights at St James’ Park, we find out just how ready this West Brom side are to back up their early promise against Premier League fire.