Darren Carter has mixed feelings about playing in matches between West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City.

He made his Birmingham debut in the match against Albion in January 2002 and was on the losing side, and made his Albion debut in the match against Blues last Saturday and again suffered defeat.

Whatever, there were consolations when he strolled on to the pitch at The Hawthorns last Saturday.

"The reception I got [from the Birmingham supporters] was what I expected," Carter said, and you could see the pride in his eyes. "I had my good times there so it was a good reception and shows what good supporters they are.

"It was strange playing against Birmingham, and being a member of the opposition, especially in the tunnel before hand when I was stood next to them. But I'm at West Brom now and have to be professional about it. Hopefully I will have another match against them this season.

"It is similar club here to Birmingham. This club is very competitive. We have the same togetherness but because of what happened last year it's fantastic here.

"My dad [Tony Carter, a Birmingham fan] was sat with the West Brom fans so I hope he behaved. He supports me through thick and thin and he would have been torn but that's how it goes."

It would have been interesting to see how the Birmingham fans would have reacted if, say, Carter had scored the winning goal for Albion. Fortunately for them, it was not put to the test. Birmingham won 3-2 and Carter was feeling low.

"In the first half we were disappointed with the goals we conceded," Carter said. "We didn't do enough to stop passes coming into the box and allowed Emile Heskey too much time in the air and he punished us for it with two goals.

"We are disappointed with that because we know we are better than that. We were unlucky not to get an equaliser but in the first half we didn't do enough. Emile is a handful and we knew he'd have the physical presence. he showed what he can do and he punished us.

"I think Emile has a chance of playing for England. He's showed everything you need and the England team lacks a bit of that at the moment. He could give England something different. He will have impressed on Saturday. We knew what Birmingham would be like. I think we both know enough about each other.

"We just didn't do enough. It wasn't just the defence because we allowed too many crosses to come into the area and when you have got Emile and Mikaek Forssell around it is difficult. We have to defend better as a team but that starts from the front.

"We need to get back on track. I don't think the bubble has burst. The confidence is still here so we have a couple of weeks to get to that form. We are stronger now, we know we are better than that and we need to put this performance behind us.

"We can improve and push up the league. We will bounce back from this and be ready for the game in two weeks."

It was not all gloom for Albion last Saturday. The performance of Geoff Horsfield, who scored twice, did much to suggest that improvement is around the corner.

"Geoff has been awesome," Carter said. "On this kind of form he is a threat in the same way Emile is. He is big and strong and has great physical presence. He holds it up well and has chipped in with four goals.

"As long as Horse is on that form it's great for us. Geoff has a knack of getting vital goals, which he did again. He's great to have on your team."

For now, Carter is anxious to ensure that he did enough against Birmingham to warrant a place in the team for the match against Wigan Athletic on September 10.

"I've had to be patient," Carter said. "I was frustrated not to be involved but the gaffer had assured me I would play a part so hopefully now I can get a run in the team and show what I can do for West Brom. The gaffer told me last Friday that I would be playing so it gave me plenty of time to prepare."