Bristol City 0 Albion 1 - Report and pictures
Salomon Rondon's first goal since October squeezed Albion into the FA Cup fourth round tonight in a lacklustre replay at Ashton Gate.[gallery]
The Venezuelan stabbed in his fourth goal for the club from six yards out after some poor defending allowed him to bring down a Craig Dawson cross in the box.
It was the only moment of quality in a tepid game lacking the fiery finish the two sides produced in the 2-2 draw at The Hawthorns ten days ago.
Even with an enticing fourth round draw at home to League One Peterborough up for grabs, Tony Pulis set the Baggies up with an unadventurous five-man midfield that included the surprise addition of striker Victor Anichebe, leaving Salomon Rondon isolated up front.
Bristol City sacked manager Steve Cotterill after the game in West Bromwich, and with one eye on the league, interim manager John Pemberton dropped top scorer Jonathan Kodjia to the bench.
Saido Berahino was left out of the whole Albion squad - prompting rumours about an imminent transfer - before the club confirmed he had a sickness bug.
Darren Fletcher did not recover from his knee injury in time to play, and Pulis brought Chris Brunt back in at left-back.
Foster started only his second game of the season after returning from injury for the first meeting between these two at The Hawthorns.
Buoyed by Saturday's shock victory over Championship leaders Middlesbrough, the Robins started brightly.
Anichebe the defensive midfielder was called into action early on when Gareth McAuley lost the ball to Bobby Reid, but the Nigerian tracked back and tackled the City man before testing Foster with a back-pass.
Luke Freeman had tormented Albion in the 2-2 draw in West Bromwich and in the tenth minute he cut inside off the right wing and let fly the first shot of the game, but it was straight into Foster's hands.
The Robins should have scored five minutes later though when Wes Burns was put through one-on-one with Foster, but the Bristol winger put his effort narrowly wide with Albion's keeper baring down on him.
Chris Brunt was forced off through injury a minute later, forcing Pulis to bring forgotten man Sebastien Pocognoli on at left-back for his first appearance since September, prompting a chorus of "we've got a full back on the pitch" from the travelling fans.
And the Baggies started to grow in stature. Craig Gardner volleyed a Rondon knock-down narrowly wide before both the Venezuelan himself and Anichebe screwed long-range efforts off target.
But this was an Albion line-up content to just throw balls up to an isolated Rondon, hoping they would stick.
The Robins were the team passing the ball around, with their midfield trio of Freeman, Reid and Marlon Pack shortening their passes and probing for weaknesses in the Baggies defences.
When the long balls did fall to men in blue and white, shots were wayward, and O'Leary wasn't tested at all in the first half.
Albion's best chance of the period fell to McAuley just before the break, but the Northern Irishman was unable to divert Gardner's bouncing shot back into the box on target with his head.
There was still time for Freeman to curl a free-kick wide of Foster's post before referee Jonathan Moss ended a forgettable half.
Stephane Sessegnon was quiet in the first half, but the second one started with him winning a free-kick in exactly the same spot as Freeman's, but this time Pocognoli shot wide as Albion's poor finishing continued to plague more and more players.
But in the 52nd minute the Baggies scored with their first shot on target in more than 140 minutes of football.
After good work on the left wing by James McClean, the ball was cleared only as far as Craig Dawson, whose inviting cross back into the box was cooly chested down by Rondon.
The Venezuelan stuck the ball past O'Leary from all of six yards out for his fourth goal of the season and his first for the club scored with either of his feet.
Just like The Hawthorns, the Albion goal sparked Bristol City into life, and Aaron Wilbraham headed a Burns cross over from inside the six yard box soon after.
Fifteen minutes from time Burns nearly kick-started the comeback, but his low shot in the box was blocked by a big Gareth McAuley leg.
The home side cranked things up in the last ten minutes and Foster caused a goalmouth scramble when he failed to claim a cross, but he recovered in time to make a save at his near post.
Villa loanee Nathan Baker got his header from the resulting corner on target but it was gathered easily by Foster and with that chance went the match.
