Rekeem Harper has warned West Brom they cannot afford to underestimate minnows Harrogate.
The Baggies host the EFL newcomers in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday as overwhelming favourites.
“You can’t take any team for granted,” said the midfielder. “We have to pay them great respect and they’ve had a fantastic season last year and you see a lot of disappointments in the cups.
“We have to match their hunger and the intensity that they’re going to bring to us and then show our quality.
“It could be a first competitive start in a new season for me so it’s a chance to propel myself into the manager’s thoughts and a lot of the other players will be out to prove a point.
“During the first game of the season we all got a taste of what the Premier League’s like.
“We matched their intensity in the first half and with the mentality of the group, it’s just a little setback because we didn’t come here to be passengers – we came here to do everything to win matches.”
He told the club’s official website: “The manager (Slaven Bilic) has seen a lot of change in me in terms of mentality, work-rate and consistency in performances and he said that I was going to get opportunities, so the manager has stuck to his word.
“I feel like Wednesday’s game is very important. First things first, I hope we win the game and I hope we play well because when you win games it breeds confidence and creates a positive atmosphere around the group.”
