West Bromwich Albion 3 - Derby County 1

Dave Watkin:

Baggies Brunt baulks Savage Rams

After an hour Albion looked to be heading for defeat against Derby County at The Hawthorns, but in an unexpected turnaround, the Baggies netted three times in a quarter-of-an-hour, to send the Rams home empty handed. In the same fifteen minute period, Leicester City scored three times to beat Nottingham Forest, so we’re now back in an automatic promotion place, two points clear of Forest, with a home game in hand.

Roberto Di Matteo made five changes from the FA Cup line-up. Both full backs, Gianni Zuiverloon and Joe Mattock were omitted, with Gabriel Tamas switching to right back to allow the return of Jonas Olsson and Marek Cech taking over on the left. Chris Brunt returned for Simon Cox, loan signing Ben Watson replaced Youssouf Mulumbu and Jerome Thomas took over from Luke Moore, who in turn deputised for the injured Roman Bednar.

There’s little in the way of goalmouth action to report from a very tight first half. Luke Moore saw a neat flick from a low cross just creep past the post, Koren was sent clear but fired over and there were loud appeals for a penalty when a stabbed shot from Moore hit Savage’s arm. The visitors created even less chances, but at half time there were concerns that with Albion’s lack of firepower, it might only take one swift break from the Rams to turn the game their way.

Our fears were realised in the 49th minute when County took the lead with a soft goal. Robbie Savage, whose only contribution to the game up to this point had been with his mouth, played an exquisite chip into the area to Green who had run off his marker. Although the Derby man failed to control the pass, the ball bobbled in front of the static Albion defenders and keeper and Porter reacted quickest to sidefoot into an empty net. The team and fans’ confidence visibly and audibly drained and in the next ten minutes the Rams could easily have doubled their lead. A double substitution, James Morrison for Koren and Simon Cox for Moore, proved the turning point. In the 67th minute it was Simon Cox who, from just inside his own half, played a tremendous crossfield ball to Chris Brunt. There was still lots to do, but the Northern Ireland international was allowed time to work the ball onto his trusty left foot, before rifling a low shot from fully twenty yards into the bottom corner. Albion never score from a corner – not true anymore. In the 77th minute, Graham Dorrans curled the ball into the six yard box, a shot from Cox was blocked but Chris Brunt was on hand to fire home. He might even have had a hat-trick, but another shot from distance went the wrong side of the post. However, a revitalised Albion, joined by third substitute Youssouf Mulumbu, couldn’t be resisted and in the 83rd minute made the game safe. This time it was James Morrison who made the killer pass as Simon Cox beat the offside trap, controlled the ball perfectly and thumped his shot past the exposed goalkeeper.

I’m not the only person to think this may be a pivotal day in our season. We played poorly for an hour in a match where defeat, even to a side who had within the last month beaten both Newcastle and Forest, would have been catastrophic. We not only turned the match around but then found that, as a result of a similar performance by Leicester against Forest, we were back on track for promotion.

The changes to the defence paid off, even though Gabriel Tamas had a shaky start in his unaccustomed role as full back. Jerome Thomas was a welcome returnee, although he threatened more than he achieved. However, the big story is how we improved following the introduction of the substitutes. James Morrison added composure to the midfield; Simon Cox was involved all over the pitch, most particularly in each of the goals and Youssouf Mulumbu made sure we gave nothing away. Chris Brunt was undoubtedly the match winner, showing how dangerous he can be when coming inside off the right wing, but he began quite poorly, so my man-of-the-match is debutant Ben Watson, who added flair to the role of defensive midfielder.

STATISTICS

This was the 100th league match between Albion and Derby County. Our home record is much superior to our away form, but surprisingly perhaps, today’s win was our best in nineteen post-war fixtures. Our biggest Hawthorns win was 5-1 in 1933/34, when WG Richardson scored four times. However, the largest victory by either side in West Bromwich was in the inaugural Football League season, on Saturday 6th October 1888, at Stoney Lane, when we won 5-0, with goals from Walter Perry, Tom Pearson (2), the legendary Billy Bassett and Billy Hendry.

ALBION FORMRATE: MIXED

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: BEN WATSON

smethwick batman:

Three points - and very important ones given the last two games and the Forest result today - but the Lord knows how! Ah, Coca Cola football, don't ya love it!

Cech was in for Buttock and Tamas, as I thought, for Zoovy. Meite kept his place consequently but partnered recalled Jonas. Moore was in for Bednar (stop chuckling at the back, this is serious stuff) and Jimmy Clitheroe Mark II with a bit more fat bizarrely took over in midfield from Mulumbu.

Brunt joined the lino on one side again and moved marginally slower despite the fact that the chain smoking fat headmaster from Lancashire had the extra weight of a flag to carry but, hey!, no worries Brunt had him comfortably in his pocket allowing Derby to do what they liked on the left. At least the lino never threatened so presumably training plan worked anyway.

"I buy my Nikes in New York" returned on the right and the lino on that side was kept comfortably as well. Game plan working so far. We humped, we lumped, we pumped, we jumped (well except Moore, who makes Nouble look like Jeff Astle).

Yes we had a few chances but nothing of ay real consequence and ditto Derby though we survived a cast iron penalty appeal the ref bizarrely waved away in the first three minutes when Tamas blatantly put his arm across the advancing winger.

Thomas frustrated over and over again, ironically not being greedy enough and trying to prompt other openings when he had already beaten his man when cutting in and should have shot. On three occasions he beat his man and went back for another go! Who does he think he is? Willie Johnston?

From one of them Brunt hit the ball with his right foot on the left (I think he's getting bipolar disease now RDM) and missed by the length of a 74 bus. On the predicatable front Moore missed a bloody sitter just before half time.

First five minutes of the second half we were still sucking the half time oranges as Derby came out of the traps with a better attitude altogether and attacked the emergency right back again and agin. He had done okay after the early first half stare but was clearly a fish out of water and had not help in front of him from Brunt. He and Meite also helped each other out on numerous occasions in an unorthodox but reasonably effective pals act.

But we were undone when Savage lobbed a clever ball over the the pushed up line and the first ball was dealt with but the second toepoked into the net. Schoolboy stuff again.

I honestly thought that was it and sensed the whole ground, the players and the Derby fans thought the same.

Again, they threatened on few occasions but when they did might have added through our own lack of ideas.

It all changed when the pathetic Moore was finally withdrawn (though God knows how he has got back in the pecking order in the first place).

Young Cox came on to replace him in a straight swap and Koren (who had a reasonable game and was certainly more energetic and inventive than Watson, Brunt or Thomas) was also hauled off yet again for Jinxsy to return to the fold in his new Santa boots.

The strange thing about the bulky, one-paced Cox is that the one thing that shines out like a beacon, whether he is deployed up front or in midfield, is he does have a penchant for striking an extraordinarily good pass out of the blue in game after game where he figures and suddenly he was Hoddle again with a sublime one to Brunt.

He still had a lot to do a predictably ducked the straight chase on goal to switch back to his left peg but then rolled it slow into the bottom corner of the net completely decieving the keeper from 20 yards.

A bit like that Russian bloke for Everton last week but far more subtle. It was either Lionel Messi or a fluke - you judge on the telly tomorrow. We were too busy dancing about in delirium. At least we'd salvaged a point when it never looked likely, to be honest and sadly not because Derby were any good. They looked pretty poor but we looked bereft.

We finally had a bit of pep, everyone stopped hoofing, especially Carson and I don't recall the ball doing anything other than stay on the floor from that point on other than obvious and deliberate aimed crosses like the one from a corner that led to Brunt notching his second after a scramble in which Morrison looked like he had agonisingly been "outscrambled" on the floor in the six yard box but "The Wand" toepoked home from two foot.

We added a third when Cox wasn't caught offside (are you watching any of these tips Luke Moore, you useless piece of garbage) and finished brilliantly as he ran through onto a Morrison though ball.

We were well in charge by then, to be fair, but we made real heavy weather of this for about 70 minutes, lacked pep or ideas. That's football!