[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

An astounding (though hard-fought) win at Molineux followed by a defeat at the Taxpayers Stadium leaves Albion still grasping for a lifeline in this last week of January. The performances have shown signs of improvement, though there's simply no chance of survival whatsoever if we continue to defend balls into the box the way we have done. In attack, Robert Snodgrass has given us something a bit different, and his absence was keenly felt down in London. Meanwhile, as we wait to see how the dice fall in the transfer market, we have two chances in the coming week to build on the derby-day triumph and get back in touch with the rest of the pack.

First up, Man City visit the Hawthorns on Tuesday night looking to return to the top of the table. Having defied them in the autumn and snatched an unlikely point, we know it can be done, but the likelihood of lightning striking twice seems remote. Still, in our position there are no write-offs, and Albion will have to be disciplined and hunt for whatever they can get.

We then bring the month to the close by hosting Fulham next Saturday, in a match which is absolutely must-win. Without a league victory since November, only a handful of draws have kept the Cottagers above us; they've scored just four goals in that time - one of them an own-goal - and have taken a 3-0 hammering off Burnley in the cup today to further undermine their confidence. It won't be easy, because six-pointers never are, but somehow Albion have got to dig deep next weekend for those precious points.