Walton: I was ready when called upon

Christian Walton was delighted to be back in Albion's goal after a gap of six years.

Walton made his first start since a goalless draw at Middlesbrough in May 2015, to help his side reach the fifth round of the Emirates FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Blackpool. 

Jason Steele had played in the previous round but was out through illness and Walton, who has had seven loan spells between his last two Albion appearances, took his chance. 

“It does take mental strength, people don't realise how tough it can be at times,” Walton said. “But I have kept my head down and just made sure I have been ready.

“A couple of weeks ago I would have said that I wouldn't be playing on Saturday, so if you're not ready and not training well the opportunity might not come. I am happy with my performance.”

It turned out to be a relatively quiet afternoon for the 25-year-old, who could have done little about Blackpool's goal.

“I've been in the opposite position, when I was at Wigan we played against Manchester City and they peppered the goal. Blackpool had one chance in the first half and it's a goal.

“In the second half we controlled the game, they made a few changes and it opened it up a bit. It's more of a mental test really when you don't have a lot to do.”

It was a third victory of 2021 for Graham Potter's men and Walton is hoping that his teammates can carry that momentum on in this week's two home Premier League games against Fulham and Tottenham. 

“People are surprised we're not higher up in the division and we haven't got the points to show for the performances – you think about Manchester United for instance, we were very good against them but lost. We've done well since the start of the year and we need to keep it up as we've got some big fixtures coming up.”