ROY Hodgson can be the catalyst Albion need for survival, according to captain Chris Brunt.

The Baggies take on Wolves in the first Black Country derby at top-flight level since April 1984.

It will be Hodgson’s first game in charge of the club since his appointment last week.

And Brunt has been impressed with what he’s seen on the training pitch this week, with the 63-year-old taking charge of all sessions.

The Northern Ireland winger believes Hodgson can make the difference between survival and relegation, regardless of the result in Sunday’s game.

Hodgson’s appointment prompted some surprise, not least that Albion were able to attract him, but Brunt believes they have the ideal man to get them out of a relegation scrap.

“It’s a good appointment,” he said. “Of all the people who were available he would have probably been everybody’s choice.

“If he can bring organisation to us then it’s a no-brainer.

“We will have a great chance of staying up if he can do that.

“He probably thought he was stepping into a dream job at half-time last Saturday.

“The second half we just fell to pieces and we hope he can give us something to stop us from doing things like that.

“He’s known for getting clubs organised – if he can do that, we know we have players who can punish teams.

“We want Premier League football next season, so will he.

“He wouldn’t have come here if he didn’t think it would happen so we have to reward that faith he’s shown.