Leeds United academy graduate unsure of reception he will receive on Elland Road return with West Brom
Leeds United academy graduate Alex Mowatt is unsure of the reception he will receive at Elland Road when he returns with West Bromwich Albion.
The midfielder was nurtured within the Leeds youth system and made 125 appearances at first-team level for the Whites.
He slipped down the pecking order during the reign of Garry Monk and was sold to Barnsley in January 2017.
Now an experienced operator at 30, Mowatt is a key figure for West Brom and is likely to start for the Baggies when they visit West Yorkshire on Saturday (March 1).
Speaking to BBC Radio West Midlands, Mowatt said: "We know what it will be like and they are flying this season
“We played them early doors this season and it was a good game but since then they've taken off. Hopefully we can have a good game there and play our style.
“I don't know actually [about the reception l will get]. Quite a lot of my mates are Leeds fans, they'll be giving me stick because they're near the corner flag, we'll see what happens. We go knowing it'll be really difficult, but we go wanting to play our way."
Mowatt has racked up 31 appearances in the Championship this season, scoring six goals. Also in the ranks at The Hawthorns is defender Kyle Bartley, who played with Mowatt for Leeds during the 2016/17 campaign.
The Baggies sit fifth in the Championship table, one point clear of seventh-placed Coventry City.
Mowatt said: "It's been a really strange season, we lose a game and then we draw and we check the table and we're still sixth. We've got a great chance now, the longer the gaffer has been here we want to adapt to his style more, it was pretty much a lot different to Carlos' [Corberan] way.
"So the more games we have under him the better it can get. The top four are sort of above and away and all the way down to 14th or 15th is really tight. We want to stay in the play-offs and hopefully we can do that."