DELROY Facey has done enough to earn a place in Wanderers' starting line-up but he may still have to sit out Saturday's big game at The Hawthorns.

The young striker came off the subs' bench, Michael Ricketts fashion, to score his first Premiership goal against Birmingham last week and put himself in the frame for the head-to-head with West Brom.

Sam Allardyce has raved about the former Huddersfield man's finishing and confirmed that he deserves his chance.

But the manager hinted that he may have to wait for his first start. "It is a possibility," he said of Facey's promotion prospects, "but the lad's under scrutiny now and under much more pressure.

"He wasn't brought here to make an impression this year, though. He was brought in to develop, to get used to the Premiership and play some part.

"That was a great part he played last week but I don't want to heap too much pressure on him just yet."

Facey accepts that the arrival of Salva Ballesta and Pierre-Yves Andre will increase competition for front line places but feels he is ready for the challenge after overcoming the serious illness earlier in the season when he feared he might never play again.

For Allardyce it is a case of the more the merrier. "With the new lads coming in we now have a nice even balance in the attacking department," he reckons, "and that is going to be crucial to our survival."