West Brom were unfortunate to lose to league leaders Leicester City 2-1 on Saturday.
Carlos Corberan watched on as his side saw efforts cleared off the line on a remarkable three occasions.
They did get the goal their performance deserved, with Jed Wallace halving the deficit from a centre-forward position, but it was not enough to take anything from the game.
West Brom are fifth in the Championship with just two games remaining and, with their far superior goal difference over Hull City in seventh, are all but guaranteed a play-off spot.
For the Baggies it is more a case of finishing the season strongly, with the club level on points with Norwich City one place below them.
Despite this, the remaining two fixtures, against Sheffield Wednesday and then Preston on the final day are far from dead rubbers.
West Brom must give Matt Phillips minutes ahead of play-offs
Corberan had been without 33-year-old Matt Phillips for almost four months due to a hamstring injury he picked up in December.
The Scotland international had started the season strongly, and according to Transfermarkt had three goals and three assists to his name prior to the injury.
The versatile winger who recently chalked up his 250th appearance for the club, made his injury return in the 1-1 draw with Millwall as he came on for the last nine minutes.
Since then, Phillips has featured in four of the last five games. However, the longest he has managed in that time is the 23 minutes he played in the 1-0 defeat to Sunderland.
Now, with two games before the opportunity to secure promotion to the promised land of the Premier League via the play-offs, Corberan has to use the next two games to try and get Phillips up to speed.
Carlos Corberan a big fan of Phillips
With his vast experience combined with his ability, Phillips could be a real asset in the play-offs even at 33.
The 16 cap Scotland international offers a threat but also works hard for his side which will be vital in such hard-fought encounters.
The ex-Blackpool wide player is loved by his manager who understands the importance of having a player like Phillips in the side.
Phillips started the season in fine form and his manager spoke glowingly of him in August last year.
Corberan said: “When you have a player like Phillips in your squad, it means a lot. It is not only his level of commitment, but it’s his quality that he has. I think that last year after we lost him we suffered, because he leads by example, he plays with a lot of maturity and he plays with a level of versatility that helps the squad a lot.”
West Brom do have good players in wide areas, with the likes of Celtic loanee Mikey Johnston, Grady Diangana and Tom Fellows.
However, Phillips could be invaluable if he is given the game time required to be at his best.