Darren Moore: West Brom's work during international break paid off
Albion's resolute 2-1 triumph under the lights at Ipswich was down to the international break arriving at the 'perfect' time, Darren Moore insists.
Matt Phillips and Ahmed Hegazi, with Scotland and Egypt respectively, were among those who reported for duty with their countries following the Baggies' eye-catching 4-1 success against Leeds a couple of weeks ago.
Some fans may have wanted the opportunity to build on that performance at The Hawthorns quickly, but Moore says having the extra week to carry out tactical work was the key to making it successive Championship victories on Friday night.
Albion's players had been given more time off in previous international breaks this season, but this time around, Moore trained his players throughout the fortnight.
"The international break allowed us to have that performance," said Moore. "It really allowed us to work on things in training
"It was perfect for us, preparing for a game such as Ipswich.
"I'm really pleased the hard work that we put in during the international break paid off."
Moore also feels the 'know-how' and 'guile' of his side came to the fore at Portman Road.
Striker Jon Walters, who is on loan at Ipswich from Burnley but out on the sidelines with an Achilles injury, felt the same way too.
Working as a pundit for the night on Sky Sports, he gave a frank assessment of his team-mates at half-time, when Albion were 1-0 up thanks to Jay Rodriguez's close-range finish, as he said it was 'men against boys'.
The Baggies had just two players under 25 in their starting XI – second goalscorer Harvey Barnes and Tosin Adarabioyo, whose mistake led to a nervy finish as substitute Kayden Jackson pulled one back.
"The crowd was 20,000-plus," said Moore. "I think they've only amassed that when they've played their local rivals, Norwich, really, so we knew it was going to be a tough game.
"We knew we had to overcome the clappers and it was a night game, a night atmosphere – at the end of a hard working week.
"The lads had to deal with the atmosphere and I thought they showed their experience, their know-how, their guile, their understanding.
"As a group, as a unit, it was very, very good. They all played in sync."
