After excellent team performances against two of the top three in recent weeks, Manchester United loanee Matt James is looking for the same against Roberto Di Matteo's West Brom at the Hawthorns on Saturday.

The home side will be looking to stretch their gap between third-placed Nottingham Forest with a home win, but after beating Billy Davies' side last Saturday, North End will be looking to take another scalp in the Black Country.

"We are disappointed that we haven't won the games we have drawn in the last few weeks," 18-year-old James told the official website. "The game against Sheffield Wednesday we were 2-0 up and if we'd held on it would have put us right up there in amongst the Play-Off contenders, so we were disappointed with it. Those things happen though; people make mistakes in every single game and it is now about how we react to that. We have two away games now and if we go and win both then things will look different again.

"We have to take the positives out of every single game and negatives can be turned into positives, so we will go to the Hawthorns on Saturday and look to put on a performance. We'll work hard together, stay compact and try and make sure that if we do score a goal, that we don't concede one and try and shut the shop down. We will be aiming to go there and show the same desire we have done in recent games and that will bring us through."

The level of display at St James' Park four weeks ago didn't reflect the 3-0 scoreline and then after playing Forest off the park in the first half last week, James feels that against a side with Premier League players, then can come out on top.

"We always seem to turn up against the big sides; you have to otherwise you get pulverised. We'll just work for each other, work hard in training today, again tomorrow, travel and then get switched on for the game and hopefully we can go there and win the game.

"Any game is a test in this league, you play against good players in every game. They had good players against Nottingham Forest, they had good players up at Newcastle, who have played Premiership football, but we will go to West Brom with no fear and play our game.

"We have good players in our team and we will not worry about anyone else, we'll concentrate on ourselves and see how it goes."

The return from injury of a couple of players in the last week has meant there is plenty of competition for places and with the likes of ex-Baggies Richard Chaplow and Darren Carter waiting in the wings, James knows he has to keep up his high level of performance.

"There are a lot of players coming back from injury, so there is a lot of pressure on out on the training field and the gaffer is watching every single day, so if you don't perform in training you won't play in the team, so you have to work hard in training as well as the games.

"I'm here to win games and learn from the experience of being here. A win on Tuesday would have got us to 50 points, but it wasn't meant to be. We are going to West Brom on Saturday hoping for a win and if we work hard, we'll be fine."

PNE.Com spoke to the England youth midfielder before training on Thursday with the sun shining down on a real spring day at Springfields and he admitted that he was pleased that we seem to be putting the cold weather behind us and he also hopes for another warm response from the fans at the weekend.

"When you turn up and it is a day like today, with the sprinklers on and dew on the pitch you think 'I'm ready for training'. None of the pitches we've played on this year have been great; the snow and frost have spoilt it a bit, you play your conditions, but today is one of those days you enjoy it.

"The fans have been great and hopefully we'll have a good set of fans there on Saturday. At home the backing we've had has been magnificent and if we keep on putting on good performances I'm sure that will continue and hopefully we can pick up a few more wins."

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