Ex-Albion keeper Joe Murphy tipped his former club for automatic promotion as he admitted Scunthorpe could not complain about refereeing at Glanford Park.

The fiery Irishman was booked for dissent as he protested over the decisions of referee Jon Moss.

But, having watched the game’s major incidents back on TV, Murphy admitted both Iron red cards and both Albion penalties were justified.

“At the time I felt hard done by but I’ve seen them again and they look two ‘stonewall’ penalties,” said Murphy, who spent three years at The Hawthorns from 2002.

“Our centre-half, David Mirfin, maybe got a touch on the ball for the second one but it’s tough to see on the video and maybe there’s a bit of ‘small club syndrome’ crept in with the ref’.

“We’re disappointed because when we scored we felt we were on top for a little bit. But we got two more players sent off and our discipline hasn’t been great this season.

“There were no complaints about Andrew Wright’s red card. It was a nice one-two from West Brom and he checked their player’s run so it was a yellow card and it was his second.

“For the second red card Grant McCann obviously said something to the ref but I don’t know what.

“I walked away, which is a good job because it probably would have been me. I got my sixth booking as it was which I’m not happy about.”

Murphy, who saved a penalty from Michael Owen against Liverpool with his first touch as an Albion player, was received warmly by the travelling fans despite starting just four Baggies games.

And he is tipping the current Albion side to claim a top-two finish.

“They’re still playing the same kind of football as when I left,” said the ex-Walsall loanee.

“They will be definitely in the top two with Newcastle, fighting it out between themselves. They play some great football and Roberto Di Matteo’s gone in and kept the same things going.

“They probably didn’t play at their best but got the win. I expect them to be up there.

“There’s only the kit man, Dave Matthews, left from my time but I got a good reception from the fans and hopefully it will be the same when we go to The Hawthorns.”

Albion defender Gianni Zuiverloon also reckoned referee Moss got his major decisions correct.

“It was good for us,” said the Dutchman. “I didn’t see the second penalty but the first one was definitely a penalty.”

And the goalscoring full-back was pleased to play at Glanford Park despite frost at one end of the pitch.

He said: “It wasn’t too bad actually. One side was a little bit frozen but it was okay.

“It’s been difficult for us in the last week. We’ve had to train inside or on a small pitch at the training ground or a couple of times at the stadium. So preparation wasn’t 100 per cent normal but we got the two wins.”