Exclusive: Mason Holgate’s "Sleepless Nights" Over Penalty Miss Push Promotion Hopes

Mason Holgate still has “sleepless nights” about the penalty he missed which could have helped West Brom secure promotion back to the Premier League, and that’s why the Everton loan defender is even more driven than ever before to help the Baggies earn a place back in the top-light.

Holgate joined the Midlands outfit in August on loan until the end of the season.

West Brom didn’t lose any of their next nine games with the former England Under-21 international spearheading their defence.

Battling it out in the play-off position at present, Holgate, 28, is focused on securing one of the two coveted automatic promotion spots.

“I’ve had many a sleepless nights about missing that penalty,” revealed Holgate, whose missed spot-kick came in an agonising 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to Aston Villa in the 2018-19 season.

“It was obviously disappointing because we had a good enough team to go up automatically, so when we missed out it was hard."

“When you get in the play-offs anything can happen but, looking back at it, I feel like it was just one of those things. On a different day we could have gone up."

“[Losing on] penalties was hard to take, but I was young at the time and I got so much out of the experience."

“I loved every minute of being at the club, it really helped me then go back to play regularly at Everton.”

BIG BREAK...WITH JOHN STONES

Holgate began his career at Barnsley, graduating from the same respected academy which gave Manchester City’s John Stones his big break, ironically, also with Everton, as well as a host of other players who have gone on to play under the bright lights of the Premier League.

But what is it like second time round at the Hawthorns for the now Jamaican international defender.

“It’s been good, it’s great to be back at the club,” Holgate told SportsBoom.com.

“To come back was a no-brainer for me, as soon as the option came up at deadline day it was something I jumped at."

“There’s still a lot of people here that were here the first time I was here, so it’s been really easy to fit back in."

“It was a good time the first time I was at the club and I got on really well with everyone really well, so I’ve always stayed in contact."

“I love the club, after I left I’d always come back and watch games."

“It’s a great place to be. The manager is great, it helps me because there is so much detail going in and you’re in a good team that is competing every week."

“It makes you a better player competing every week because the squad is so good.”

Holgate reflected: “I feel like it’s a very similar set-up now to when I was here last season."

“There’s no one really running away with the league this year, whereas last year there were two teams who ran away with it early and everyone else was battling it out [for promotion]."

“But this season nobody is running away with it and we believe this squad is good enough to be in and amongst the automatic promotion places this season. That’s what we’re pushing for, definitely."

“It was great to not lose for a long time when I joined, as a defender that’s obviously great, but we want to turn a lot of our draws into wins because a lot of our results have been draws."

“With a team of our quality I think we need to go out and be winning more games and put ourselves in there [the automatic mix]."

“After the Christmas period I really think you get a good grip of where you are and what’s to be fought for.”