Former West Bromwich Albion striker Kevin Phillips believes the Baggies' cancelled match against League Two side Walsall is a real blow for the Championship club, in an interview with West Brom News.

Valerien Ismael's side were due to play the Saddlers on Tuesday but heavy rain in the West Midlands caused a waterlogged pitch and with that, their penultimate match before the start of the league season was called off.

With three new signings in Alex Mowatt, Quevin Castro and loanee Matt Clarke arriving at The Hawthorns this summer and a new manager in place after Sam Allardyce's resignation in May, they will have been keen to play as many games as possible going into a tough 2021/22 season.

However, there was no real prospect of the game being played at any point during Tuesday due to the state of the pitch - and were unable to arrange another pre-season friendly at short notice to compensate for this lost game time.

Their 4-0 victory over local rivals Birmingham City at the weekend was a huge boost for the Baggies, who will be aiming to gain promotion to the top flight at the first time of asking following their relegation in May, but former player Kevin Phillips' mind is still on the cancelled midweek game.

Speaking to West Brom News about the subject, he said: "It’s (Walsall) on your doorstep so there was no travelling involved, it’s been a blow.

"I’m sure they’re playing numerous behind-closed-doors games, 11 v 11s, but they’re not the same as a match against an opposing team.

"It’s not great preparation for the start of what’s going to be a tough season.

"Everyone will want to beat West Brom because it’s a scalp as they’ve just come out of the Premier League.

"It’s not ideal for the new manager but it is what it is – they just have to deal with it. It’s as simple as that.

"Bringing in experienced players before the season starts can help with them not playing as many games."

The Verdict:

It's clear Valerien Ismael has a certain way of playing and requires as much practice as possible if the West Midlands side are to perfect it like Barnsley were able to last term, so a cancelled game was the last thing they needed with the new league season coming up.

Despite the lower quality of opposition, Walsall still would have been a big test and allowed the French manager to fully utilise his squad and perfect his tactics.

The likes of Sheffield United, Fulham and Bournemouth will all be expecting to gain automatic promotion next term like West Brom, so things like this can often prove to be the difference between promotion euphoria and play-off disappointment.

But looking at it from a more positive angle, who knows what would have happened if the game went ahead? Perhaps there would have been a big injury to one of their key players? Because of this, Ismael will just be thankful his players have made it through pre-season unscarred.

And on Phillips' last point regarding experienced players, 28-year-old Adam Reach looks set to arrive at The Hawthorns, so he could potentially be an important figure for the Baggies and one that the former West Brom striker thinks could play a big part after this cancellation.