BLOWING HOT
Gale force Albion surge four points clear
WEST BROM’S promotion bid has been in danger of being blown off course recently.
But after coping so impressively with the combined challenge posed by Storm Ciara and Gary Rowett’s Millwall side at the Den, Slaven Bilic believes his side’s season is back on track.
Filip Krovinovic’s first-half strike and Dara o’Shea’s late header ensured Bilic’s men recorded back-to-back victories after ending a run of seven games without a win against Luton last weekend.
That ensured Albion took full advantage of Leeds’ latest slip at Nottingham Forest to move four points clear, putting distance between themselves and the chasing pack.
And while their win owed much to the difference in quality between the teams, Bilic was particularly satisfied with the other characteristics shown by his side.
‘We didn’t match them physically, we were better than them physically,’ he said. ‘And that makes me extremely proud.
‘I was asked before the game, “is this Millwall weather?” like it suits them more. Come on.
‘our guys showed the spirit, showed the character, willingness, effort and then the quality made the difference. The only thing was we should have scored more goals.
‘But we are not Barcelona. We are a fighting team. We are West Bromwich Albion, a team that fights and gives everything.
‘It was very good, from everybody, at a ground that is very difficult to play at. Against a team who are always physical but are now playing good football. But we stopped them. We neutralised them. That’s why I’m a bit emotional, because of the performance.’
The visitors’ dominance was due in no small part to the contributions of Krovinovic and Matheus Pereira, back in the side after the three-match ban imposed retrospectively following a clash with Stoke City’s Joe Allen.
The pair were at the heart of many of Albion’s best attacking moves while Callum Robinson repeatedly threatened down the left. Rowett admitted there was a gulf between the two sides, but he insisted his Millwall side didn’t help themselves.
‘We started the game like it was a nice summer’s day in May,’ he said. ‘We were trying to play short passes all the time.
‘I picked a team I felt would suit the conditions rather than the game, and that may have been a mistake. They handled the conditions better than us.
‘They deserved to win and 2-0 probably flattered us. But we have played well for 17 or 18 games and just come up short in the last one and a half games.’
Confirmation that the weather was going to play a major part came as early as the second minute — when the ball was repeatedly blown away as Krovinovic attempted to take a corner.
The visitors, though, quickly adapted and Pereira was unlucky to see an early shot come back off the post after it had beaten goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.
Rowett’s side have forced themselves into contention for the play- offs with an impressive series of results since Christmas but struggled to make an impression on the game.
And a daunting task was made much harder when Krovinovic, on loan from Benfica, fired Albion into a 42nd-minute lead.
Pereira collected a throw-in and switched the play across to the
Croat, who wrong-footed defender Mahlon Romeo with his first touch before curling a shot inside Bialkowski’s left-hand post from 20 yards.
Albion remained in control and ensured they would see out the game comfortably when o’Shea headed home from Kamil Grosicki’s 84th-minute corner.
‘This has to be a standard,’ said Bilic. ‘And we have to continue like this.’