Tony Mowbray has urged his West Bromwich Albion players to make sure that they have no need of three trips to Wembley this spring. Returning to the business of attempting to secure automatic promotion from the Coca-Cola Championship tonight, the FA Cup semi-finalists have been told to order their own suits if they want to dress up for next month's tie with Portsmouth.

West Brom are in a fine groove of form after preceding Sunday's 5-1 demolition of Bristol Rovers in the Cup quarter-finals with two league victories. But, determined to learn the lessons of last year when a run to the fifth round effectively cost them a top-two finish and necessitated a visit to Wembley for a play-offs final that they lost 1-0 to Derby County, Mowbray has told his players not to treat their semi-final as a showpiece occasion.

With one visit to the national stadium secured, for the semi-final on April 5 or 6, Mowbray will attempt to secure a second by plotting to overcome Portsmouth, the final Barclays Premier League survivors in the competition. But the West Brom manager would prefer not to make a third trip for a play-offs final. Beating Crystal Palace at The Hawthorns tonight would put Mowbray's team, fourth before last night's Championship games, right back in the thick of the automatic promotion hunt.

“Business hasn't stopped,” Mowbray said. “Our main priority has got to be the league. It is important for the players to stay focused on their immediate jobs. Three of our next four games are at home and it is imperative we pick up as many points as we can from those.

“We have a collective goal this season to win enough points to get promotion. I am sure that is the players' focus as well because we have an opportunity, but so do a dozen other teams and we have to make sure we stay in the race.

“The semi-final is just another game for us: same travel arrangements, same set-up. I think the team got new suits last year and they have only worn them once, so anybody who wants new suits will be in trouble - they will be buying their own. Our goal is to get out of this division whichever way it comes. The main aim is to finish first or second. Option two is to go up via the play-offs and if it has to be the play-offs, so be it. But our goal at this moment, with 11 games to go, is to finish in the top two and we have a great opportunity to do that.

“Let's focus on these league games, but when the Cup games come around we will focus on Portsmouth and their qualities and try to win a football match. Whatever comes out of the other end of that, we will wait and see.”

Carl Hoefkens, who missed the victory over Bristol Rovers, is hoping to recover from a hamstring injury in time to face Palace. Kevin Phillips could return to the starting line-up after coming off the bench to score at the Memorial Ground and will be pushing to start alongside Ishmael Miller, who plundered a hat-trick against the League One side.

Mowbray underlined the relative insignificance of West Brom's Wembley date with Portsmouth by suggesting that no one will remember the losing semi-finalists.

“I don't think this Cup semi-final is going to put anyone down in history,” he said. “If this team managed to get by Portsmouth and managed to win the FA Cup, the team sticks a stamp on its chest. People will say that team of 2008 did OK, but we have a long way to go. Reputations are built over a longer period of time.”