Five talking points from West Brom's win over Bolton
Albion beat crisis club Bolton Wanderers 2-0 on Monday night to move up into third place. Here are five talking points from the game.
1 BAGGIES HAVE A DEEP SQUAD FOR THIS DIVISION
Albion won this game despite playing the majority of it with Darren Moore’s sixth and seventh choice central midfielders.
Jake Livermore was suspended while James Morrison, Matt Phillips and Chris Brunt are now all injured. The Baggies are also yet to replace Harvey Barnes.
Bolton may not be the best, but few sides would have coped with such a long list of absentees as well as Albion did. Moore knew his squad would be called upon at some point this season, and this is it.
2 GARETH BARRY IS THE KEY COG IN THE SYSTEM
The youngsters may have stolen the headlines but it was the man who turns 38 next month playing alongside them at the base of midfield who knitted the whole performance together. Barry has been Albion’s best player for the past two months, and his class continues to shine through.
His fitness is incredible for a man of his age with his miles on the clock, but it was the way he steered Rekeem Harper and Sam Field through the game that was equally impressive. Right now, Barry is the man that makes Albion tick.
3 SAM JOHNSTONE EARNED HIS CLEAN SHEET
This was not as comfortable or as routine as the scoreline suggests. Even though Bolton are the division’s lowest scorers, Johnstone had to pull off three decent saves to keep his fourth clean sheet of the season intact.
Although his distribution from the floor needs work, he’s undeniably a good shot-stopper who has made some important saves this season. And it helps having a settled defence in front of him.
That’s three clean sheets in the last six league games and the Baggies have the second-best defensive record in the league since switching to a back four.
4 STRIKERS EARN THEIR GOALS THROUGH WORKRATE
Jay Rodriguez and Dwight Gayle have eight goals between them in the last six games, and both are now on 14 for the season. Rodriguez is unlikely to score an easier header than this one, but both he and Gayle earn their chances through their relentless running.
Strikers can be notoriously selfish but these two are ultimate team players, and their pressing must be a pain to play against.
Hal Robson-Kanu’s knack for winning free-kicks also paid off in this game, and he has a similarly dogged work ethic, but it is that front two who are capable of firing Albion up.
5 BIG HOPES FOR LONG-TERM FUTURE OF CLUB
Jeremy Peace contemplated shutting the academy down when Izzy Brown and Yan Dhanda were snatched by big clubs for peanuts, but thank goodness he didn’t.
The work Mark Harrison and his coaches are doing is now beginning to bear fruit. Field scored in this game, and Harper was given man of the match by the broadcasters.
The academy is not only preparing players for Albion’s first-team, it could also prove lucrative in the future. The £12m sale of Saido Berahino to Stoke proves that.
Owner Guochuan Lai wants Albion to be self-sustaining, and if the club do not win promotion in the next two years, the academy's success could prove crucial in years to come.
