Albion Star Gareth Barry to be in Action Again
The West Bromwich Albion star Gareth Barry is hoping to start against Newcastle United in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Gareth Barry is supposed to play for the Hawthorns against Newcastle United along with Chris Brunt. The 39-year-old player was in a key role in the 1-0 win against West Ham in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Gareth Barry holds the Premier League record for the most number of appearances. Gareth Barry along with Chris Brunt are out of contract with West Brom in June and are likely to leave.
Gareth Barry and Chris Brunt are certainly to feature against Steve Bruce's Newcastle because the head coach of West Brom, Slaven Bilic is shuffling his team to keep his side fresh for the match. West Brom is currently at the top of the Championship with a six-point difference between them and Fulham who are currently in the third position.
Barry has appeared last in the FA Cup final in 2000 in the match against Chelsea at Aston Villa with a 1-0 loss. The tie match against West Ham was his 50th match in the Cup. Barry has only featured in eight matches in this season’s Championship but with Chris Brunt, he has a total of 1403 combined appearances in league and cup.
Gareth Barry holding the record number of appearances in the Premier League with a total number of 653 appearances joined West Bromwich Albion again in November but his way to the main squad was obstructed by Captain Jake Livermore, Rekeem Harper, and Romaine Sawyers.
West Brom head coach Slaven Bilic stated in an interview that Gareth Barry is not only a legendary player for West Brom but he’s a legendary player for entire England. He feels very lucky to have had Gareth Barry in his team.