West Brom: Martis in fighting mood to keep Baggies' first-team place

Sep 4 2009 by Christopher Lepkowski, Birmingham Mail

“I need to stay fit and make sure I play to the best of my ability.

“It’s been alright. I am still missing a little bit of fitness but apart from that it has been alright.

“I did pre-season but I still don’t feel like I’m quite as sharp as I was last year.

“It will come back, it just needs a bit of time. We are still undefeated so it has been a good start.”

The Baggies have already beaten big-spending Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest this season, and shared points with Sheffield United and early pace-setters Newcastle United.

Martis feels the key to Albion’s season will be to ensure they take points off the stronger sides in the division.

“If we do well against the bigger teams – the teams that are our competition – we will be going in the right direction to go up,” he added.

“There are six or seven who can all be up there but in the Championship. You never know.

“You can’t really list the teams exactly but Newcastle and Middlesbrough are massive clubs who were in the Premier League last season.

“Everybody will be expecting them to go straight back up and we’re in there as well.

“Then there are the teams who just missed out last season and they will be up there again.”