West Brom will be hoping to put this campaign to one side when the next one starts, as they set their sights on winning promotion back to the Premier League.

One key player they are extremely likely to be without next season is goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, with some of the country's giants looking into securing his signature.

With Johnstone looking as if he will miss the rest of the season, as a result of the experienced shot-stopper not being likely to remain at The Hawthorns, David Button is currently being assessed as the club's first-choice.

Answering a question about whether it is the right decision to be leaving Johnstone out at the moment, Carlton Palmer told Football League World: "Yeah, absolutely.

"There's no point in playing.

"I mean, at the end of the day, he's having a look at David button the number two goalkeeper, you might as well give him some minutes, have a look at him because he is doing a rebuilding job. 

"Sam has not signed a new contract, he's not going to sign a new contract, he's going to move on to pastures new.

"So there's no point in instead Bruce playing him." 

The verdict 

With Johnstone nearly certain to depart, it appears that Steve Bruce is using the remainder of the season to assess whether or not, or to what extent they will recruit in the goalkeeping department.

Button has proven to be a more than handy back-up to Johnstone, however, it remains to be seen if he will be deemed as the right man to help mount a serious promotion charge.

Albion also have Alex Palmer as another option, with the 25-year-old impressing on a loan spell with Lincoln City recently, whilst also stepping up to the plate for Luton Town as an emergency loan option.

It would appear that the Baggies have two capable options, however, it may represent a risk if they did not add to their goalkeeping options, given the consistent quality displayed by Johnstone.