Giggs hails Barry achievement

Barry made his 633rd Premier League appearance in West Brom's 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Monday night, surpassing the previous record set by former Man United midfielder Ryan Giggs.

"Hi Gareth, massive congratulations on beating my Premier League appearance record," said Giggs. "It's a huge feat.

"I know that you're a professional lad and to play that many games at the top level is a massive achievement. So well done mate, and hopefully there's many more games to come."

It was a typical reliable performance from the 36-year-old at the Emirates Stadium. Barry did not want a lot of fanfare surrounding his achievement, but in a nice touch Baggies boss Tony Pulis made him captain for the night.

Barry predictably understated the achievement in a career which has so far spanned 21 years and included spells at Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton, before his summer move to The Hawthorns.

"It was something different this week, having a lot of media attention," he said. "It will be nice to put this milestone to bed.

"I've not really given it too much thought about who is behind me. There is so much concentration on what you are doing."

Despite remaining angry about two decisions from the officials on Monday night, Pulis found time to pay tribute to the former England midfielder.

"Gareth has been a wonderful professional and still is," he said. "We hope he keeps performing like that until the end of the season."