Despite a doomed future at West Bromwich Albion, Andy Johnson is determined to end his days at the club on a high by helping to steer them to Premiership safety.

A career-threatening injury sustained at Fulham in January last year prevented the midfielder from being involved in the "Great Escape" but he is keen to play a part in this season's relegation dog-fight.

" I am fit and raring to go whenever [manager] Bryan Robson needs me," Johnson said. "Obviously, I want to play football; if that's helping this club stay in the Premier League, then that's fantastic."

Johnson has played only twice in the last six months and only six games since last season's serious knee injury; however, he did play in the 2-1 defeat at Tottenham last Monday. It came as a surprise to him but it served as a welcome fillip after spending two months on the sidelines.

The former Welsh international is likely to leave the club at the end of the season when he is out of contract. He was understood to be on his way to Sheffield United during the January transfer window but that deal fell through.

Johnson has also been linked to Bristol Rovers, the team he has supported since he was a boy, despite their lowly position in League Two.

However, that move is more likely to come in the twilight of his career.

He said: "I would like to go and play for them one day; whether it is at the end of the season, I can't tell you, but hopefully I'll finish off down there."

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that he may stay at The Hawthorns. Concentrating on this season and Albion's battle to replicate last season's heroics, the 31-year-old is keen to remind his manager that: "If I am needed between now and the end of the season, I'll go out and do everything I can".

However, with the imminent return of Nigel Quashie, who will complete a five-match ban against Liverpool tomorrow, plus the news that Diomansy Kamara is back in training, he is realistic enough to accept that he many never play in Albion colours again.

If that is indeed the case, he will leave with no regrets, saying: "I've had five great years here, it's a club I've really enjoyed playing for, the fans are terrific, I get on really well with the boss and all the staff here."

Whatever fate has in store for Albion, Johnson sees the club in a much better state than when he joined in 2001. In the season before that, they struggled for survival in what is now the Championship and didn't even have permanent training facilities. He said: "Big-name players now want to come and play football here."

Albion have won widespread praise for their performances in the last four games - against Chelsea, Birmingham, Manchester United and Tottenham - but have come away with only one point.

Despite this, Johnson and the rest of the team are looking forwards, not backwards, approaching the remaining seven games of the season with renewed vigour. He said: "If we carry on producing those kind of performances, the results are going to come."

He added that, of the struggling triumvirate of Birmingham, Portsmouth and Albion, the Baggies were best equipped to stay up.

Albion's hopes against Liverpool tomorrow were boosted by the news that only Thomas Gaardsoe has not been in training this week. Steven Gerrard will be missing for the European champions.

Albion have, meanwhile, signed a new kit sponsorship deal with Umbro for two years.