Leicester 1 West Brom 2 – the verdict

LEICESTER V ALBION Graham Dorrans fires in the free kick to put Albion ahead. Roberto Di Matteo planned the win. His players made it happen.

But the Albion head coach must share his latest impressive victory with the men in the background at The Hawthorns.

Chairman Jeremy Peace, sporting director Dan Ashworth and the rest of the Baggies’ scouting web could afford a smile of satisfaction as the final whistle confirmed a fabulous three points at the Walkers Stadium.

Because the latest gem off the production line of Albion recruitment was at the heart of this eye-catching triumph over an in-form Foxes side.

The system that served up Robert Koren and Filipe Teixeira to Tony Mowbray’s Championship victors has given Gonzalo Jara to Di Matteo.

And, while the Chilean cost a good deal more than some of the club’s other foreign imports, the £1.4m was looking like a full-blown steal by Saturday tea-time.

With Jara’s name added to that of Youssouf Mulumbu on the list of successes, things are looking up for Ashworth and Co after a difficult 18 months.

For every Koren and Teixeira there has been a Kim Do-heon or Ryan Donk. And, in the inexact science of player signings, the Baggies’ system struggled to find the right chemistry for the ill-fated Premier League campaign.

But when it comes to unearthing hidden Championship treasures, the system insisted on by Peace, created by Simon Hunt and overseen for two years by Ashworth has a proud record of success that looks set to continue.

With Koren’s star fading after three fine years and Teixeira’s future in the balance, Mulumbu and Jara are left flying the flag for the oft-criticised recruitment structures at Albion.

And Jara showed more forcibly than ever on Saturday that he could be a more than worthy standard-bearer for Ashworth’s cause.

He has excelled at centre-back and full-back and tried his hand as a wide-man with limited success. But it was from the heart of midfield that the 24-year-old grabbed Saturday’s match and moulded it into a tremendous away win.

His fabulous 40th-minute goal to give Di Matteo’s men a 2-0 lead was the stand-out moment of an entertaining game.

Yet the long-range strike that whistled past keeper Chris Weale was simply a fitting reward for a man-of-the-match display that could leave Mulumbu facing a fight to regain his place as the head coach’s preferred midfield ‘enforcer’.

His tackling was fierce and his positioning sound. But it was his creative, assured probing from the engine room of the side that truly caught the eye and had Di Matteo fielding a string of post-match questions about a man who is no longer the unsung hero of his squad.

Jara might have slipped into The Hawthorns under the radar, but a string of ever-improving performances have blown his cover.

Success at Leicester was not, however, a one-man production.

With Jara as his defensive insurance policy, Graham Dorrans maintained his own stunningly high standards with another all-action performance that gave Albion the drive to balance out Jara’s discipline.

If the young Scot’s second goal in as many weeks owed much to luck, it was a slice of good fortune the Baggies’ creator-in-chief earned with another display that moved Koren a step closer to the Hawthorns departure lounge.

In less than a year Dorrans has risen from the reserve ranks to become a Championship star with Premier League admirers and his consistency since his spring emergence under Mowbray has belied his tender years.

By the time Dorrans’ low free-kick crept through a crowd of players into the bottom corner, Leicester had seen two half-chances go begging and Luke Moore had missed two clear opportunities for the Baggies.

The striker’s clearest opening saw his shot from Gianni Zuiverloon’s pull-back fly too close to Weale with the rest of the goal at his mercy.

Those near misses brought fears that Albion would be punished for their profligacy but Dorrans’ strike raised spirits.

And, five minutes from the interval, Jara strode forwards from midfield and unleashed a vicious right-footed shot that gave Weale no chance.

That gave Albion a clear lead to protect and a glorious chance to claim a major scalp. And, when it came to the ugly side of Championship combat, Di Matteo’s side offered further signs that the endless hours of plugging away on the training ground is reaping defensive rewards.

A side that was often brittle under Mowbray, even at the most successful times of the former manager’s reign, has developed a new, robust edge.

And it was needed in abundance in the second half as the Foxes piled on pressure as they hunted a way back into a game that their visitors could have had sewn up.

Zuiverloon was in his best form for more than a year, Joe Mattock blocked out the taunts of home fans to stand firm and Abdoulaye Meite and Jonas Olsson headed and tackled for a solid 45 minutes to ensure Dorrans and Jara’s contributions proved decisive.

Half-time substitute Paul Gallagher missed a brilliant chance in the opening minutes of the half, after which the home side laid siege to the Albion box but the visitors stood firm against everything that came their way.

In fact, Moore went closer than anyone else on either side when his late lob from a Scott Carson punt beat Weale but flew back off the crossbar.

Albion reached the 90-minute mark unscathed but their defences were breached four minutes into stoppage time when Carson could only parry a free-kick from Gallagher and Bruno Berner reacted quickest to force the rebound past the prone keeper.

It set up a tense final minute of added time before the final whistle confirmed a hugely significant success.

And, while the players headed for La Manga, the whole Albion hierarchy could enjoy their moment in the sun.

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This article was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 11:15 am.