BAGGING RIGHTS Bilic hails ‘bostin’ Austin’ in West Midlands derby win

CHARLIE AUSTIN made sure the Baggies took home the derby bragging rights – despite the visitors twice having to claw their way back from being a goal down.

Super-sub Austin was their hero and had been on the pitch for just three minutes as a 70th-minute sub when he smashed in a superb goal to get Albion back in the game at 2-2.

Then, nine minutes from the end, Austin headed in the winner.

That’s six goals in his last five games – five of them from coming off the bench.

“The first goal was pure class,” said West Brom boss Slaven Bilic (right).

“His second was from good movement when he got rid of the defender. Class again.”

Austin cost the Baggies £4million and it’s good money invested in this promotion push.

West Brom are unbeaten in 12 games, which is their best run for nine years.

It meant the Baggies jumped to the top of the Championship, two points above Leeds, who could only draw yesterday with Cardiff.

Both look destined to go up, but Albion need to be careful because their defending is less than secure.

They have rattled in 45 goals, but critical Bilic said of his defence: “At times, it was like ‘Mayday!’ Corners and set pieces, we have to do better than that.”

There could not have been a better start to the local derby on a freezing day than Lukas Jutkiewicz scoring for Birmingham within three minutes.

Right-back Maxime

Colin enjoyed celebrating a century of games for the

Blues with a terrific cross and Jutkiewicz met it with a thumping, close-range header.

But that was Bilic’s point – the Baggies should have done better at defending the danger.

West Brom are not at their best when defending, but ask them to attack and that’s different.

Within seven minutes, they were level. Birmingham didn’t clear a corner and Matt Phillips took advantage with an angled shot or cross – take your pick – that Grady Diangana turned in.

The Baggies escaped more damage just before the break when a clever Jude Bellingham pass got full-back Kristian Pedersen in, but his shot hit goalkeeper Sam Johnstone

The defenders’ union came Pedersen’s rescue.

By the second minute of the second half, Albion were trailing again. Bellingham’s corner offered the chance and Harlee Dean rose high above Conor Townsend to head his first goal since February.

Bilic revealed he kept his cool at half-time.

Not hard, to be fair, at sub-zero St Andrew’s.

“We said, ‘Stay calm, be more calm’ because in derbies it is very difficult to do that,” revealed Bilic.

“We showed quality, determination, great spirit and fight.”

But without Austin (right) it would had been different.

Jeremie Bela missed a sitter of a header and Birmingham boss Pep Clotet, beaten at home for the second

to time in four days, said: “Pedersen had a clear chance, Bela too.

“West Bromwich had the ability to bring a player like Austin from the bench, who made the difference.

“There are so many positives that help us to grow and keep going to slowly, week by week, season by season, reduce the distance there was between us and West Bromwich Albion.”

But, for the Baggies, it’s about the here and now.

Bilic touched the wooden desk he was sitting behind and his head for continued good scoring luck as he said: “It was Hal Robson-kanu who was on a scoring run , now it’s Charlie.”

No wonder the Baggies fans were singing: “Austin is bostin’.”