The former England left-back, who will line up against his former side in the Premier League on Saturday, moved to The Hawthorns last summer after an unhappy two years at Villa Park during which he twice went out on loan. But the 30-year-old, who felt "isolated" under Martin O'Neill at Villa, thought history was repeating itself after losing his place to Marek Cech under former boss Roberto Di Matteo earlier in the campaign. "The whole point of leaving Villa was to seek first team football and there was a sense of 'here we go again'," Shorey said on the club's official website. "I left Villa to come here and play and it was all happening again. "I got a bit down but you have to keep going and I think anyone you ask would tell you I got my head down and worked hard, and believed I would get another chance. "Sometimes you don't, no matter what you do, and that's just the way it is. "But I tried to learn from my experience at Villa. It's definitely stood me in good stead. For the rest of my career I'm sure there'll be periods when I'm not playing and I've got to get over that. "At Villa I felt quite isolated because for whatever reason it just wasn't happening. The gaffer here makes you feel part of it, which is important." Not that Shorey regretted his Villa experience, which came as a shock after being a first team regular at Reading. "It would be quite easy to say I regret it just because I went there and it didn't work out," he added. "But I learned a lot. I think you just have to take every experience as it comes, whether it's a good one or a bad one, and take the best out of it." Victory for the Baggies would lift them above their midlands rivals in the table and just about guarantee survival, which already looks pretty secure. "I didn't think that in a million years we'd have a chance of finishing above them, not with the quality they've got," Shorey said. Villa will again be without manager Gerard Houllier, who is still absent while he recovers from a heart problem. But Baggies boss Roy Hodgson does not expect that to make his side's task any easier. He said: "I think they'll handle it well because in (Gary) McAllister and Gordon Cowans they've got experienced men to lead them through. If anything it will galvanise them. "Hopefully Gerard won't be out for long anyway, they're getting constant updates about his health and if anything it will make them stronger in the short term. "In the longer term they will need him at the helm to lead them on but in the short term I don't think it will have any effect on them." Captain Chris Brunt is set to miss the game after suffering a slight hamstring strain in training. Winger Jerome Thomas (hamstring/groin) and defender Steven Reid (calf) are definitely out after picking up injuries in the 2-2 draw at Tottenham. Brunt will be assessed again before the game, with Hodgson admitting he was unlikely to be fit but insisting none of the three were long-term concerns.
