Victory for team is the only goal for hotshot duo
JAY Rodriguez is enjoying his blossoming partnership with fellow West Bromwich Albion hotshot Dwight Gayle.
When the Baggies completed the loan signing of Gayle in the summer, in place of Rodriguez’s previous strike partner Salomon Rondon, it was a move that made many a side in the Championship sit up and take notice.
Both attackers have experience of bagging plenty of goals in the division and, thus far, they’ve lived up to expectation, plundering 13 goals between them from the first ten matches.
Rodriguez, though, says selflessness key in the duo’s relationship.
“One of us is happy if the scores,” he said.
“If I score he’s happy and vice-versa. That’s a really important thing, everyone in the team is wanting one thing – to get three points at the end of the game.
“We said it in an interview earlier this season – if he scores all the goals and we get to where we want to be, then everyone’s happy.
“As a striker you want to score as many goals as possible to help the team. That’s why it’s so healthy.
“We work really well together. On and off the field it’s good. We’ve got Hal Robson-Kanu as well, it’s a great three.
“We’re working together, we’re pushing each other and keeping each other sharp.”
Rodriguez’s headed goal, meeting Jake Livermore’s inviting cross, opened the scoring in the Baggies’ 3-2 win at Preston on Saturday and sparked a frantic second half that bore five goals.
It was also the Baggies’ first headed goal of the season – ironic, when you consider their previous reputation as setpiece specialists.
But did Rodriguez even head it in? “I think it came a little bit off my shoulder,” he conceded.
“I headed it other first and then on is lad to my shoulder and it went in! We play really good football at times and as a striker it’s really good to feel that.
“We back ourselves to score, not just me and Gayley, but the other lads as well.
“Looking how many players have scored, it’s really good at the moment.
“As lads we get on really well together, away from football, we are close and I think that’s a really important thing we’ve worked on.
“The tactics in our game are showing and, as I say, we’re working, we’re still not there and we need to keep improving. That’s the feeling and the buzz we all love.”