Millwall v West Brom preview: Ryan Mason makes 'ready' promise as Baggies battle schedule

The weary Baggies were back at their Walsall training HQ on Thursday despite arriving back from a successful trip to Norwich in the early hours of the morning.

There is no time for time off before Saturday's clash at Millwall - Albion will travel to the capital on Friday - and coaching and backroom staff will earn their corn making use of every available hour to help players recover and prepare for the next challenge.

There will be no time to work on the training pitch, Mason confirmed, and the focus will be on light recover sessions and classroom meetings in preparation for Alex Neil's Lions, who were beaten 4-0 by high-flying Coventry on their own patch on Wednesday night.

Mason has hit out at the authorities a couple of times this week for scheduling he and the club feel are unfair. Not only do Albion have to manage away trips to Norwich and Millwall between a Wednesday and Saturday this week, they do the same later in October on the same days for visits to Watford and Ipswich, the latter a Saturday 12.30pm.

The head coach, who alongside friend and former team-mate Harry Kane enjoyed a six-game Millwall loan from Tottenham in 2012, is not in the mood for excuses and backed his side to be ready.

"I mean, it's interesting turnaround in terms of the travel and the timing of the games, but we have to accept it and we have to try and to arrive Saturday ready to compete because that's what we need to do," said Mason. "We'll be ready.

"We've got travel home, we've got work on Thursday, then we work Friday. I think a lot of it is about recovering and preparing for Saturday.

"But like I said, we've got a squad for a reason, so hopefully everyone will be available for Saturday."

Mason's side have the best away record in the Championship so far having won three from four on their travels - after only winning four on the road all of last season, and none from November onwards.

Albion's head coach is likely to mull over at least a couple of changes for the trip to south east London having only made one alteration to his starting XI in Norwich, goalscorer Josh Maja for Aune Heggebo.

Heggebo is likely to be recalled against the 12th-placed Lions with Maja's fitness managed and the Baggies are assessing loan left-back Charlie Taylor after he limped off with fatigue in the second half in Norfolk. Callum Styles could be primed for a recall against his former side.

Defenders Krystian Bielik and Alfie Gilchrist both made Baggies bows in Norwich as Mason begins to settle his squad more. Midfielder Toby Collyer was bright from the bench. There is, at least, the respite of an international break beginning after this weekend.

"The turnaround isn't enough to work in terms of on the pitch," Mason said. "There will be a lot of meetings. By the time we arrive Saturday, they need to be in the right headspace and physically ready to go and compete because you need to compete in this league, at this level, every single game.

"There's such a demand from a physical point of view, so we've got to make sure we're ready."