Boss eyes local pride

Roy Hodgson has demanded his West Brom players finish the season as the top dogs in the West Midlands.

The Baggies go into their last four matches of the season with a seven-point advantage over bitter rivals Aston Villa - their only realistic challenger for local pride. Villa have a game in hand but are on a five-game winless streak, and only rock bottom Wolves have lost more games at home. Hodgson is confident Albion can finish above their rivals, who visit the Hawthorns before the end of the season, for the first time since 1979. "We've actually talked about it and it would be our next major goal," said the Baggies boss. "If we had a goal, then that would be the goal. "That would be to break what is neither a record or a hoodoo, but a fact of life that it's a long time to be below an important rival in the city. "To have 33 years where you've always seen a rival above you is a long time."