Steve Clarke 'keeping West Bromwich Albion grounded'

Steve Clarke has insisted that his West Bromwich Albion side will not get over-excited by their impressive start to the season.

The Baggies climbed to third place in the Premier League table with a 4-2 victory over Sunderland this afternoon - their fourth straight win.

Despite crediting his side's performance at the Stadium of Light, Clarke has stressed that talk of European qualification is premature.

"To talk about European football at this stage would be folly, there are a lot of games to go, so we'll keep our feet on the ground," he said. "I thought we passed the ball brilliantly and managed to pick them off. To score four goals against any team is a great performance.

"The players deserve all the credit, they've worked really hard. People have had to sit up and take notice and the Albion fans can enjoy this spell."

West Brom return to action at Swansea City on Wednesday before hosting Stoke City at the Hawthorns next weekend.