CHE OPENS UP ON WHY HE STUCK WITH BLUES
Boss won’t let setback derail promotion push
DARREN Moore hopes only a second defeat in 13 matches will not put the brake on West Bromwich Albion’s express-train route back to the top flight.
Albion’s promotion push fell off track against rivals Middlesbrough on Saturday as Tony Pulis maintained his habit of upsetting former clubs.
Two goals from supersub Britt Assombalonga turned the game for the visitors to win 3-2 after Albion had fought back to lead 2-1 with 15 minutes to play.
“We have to learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Moore said of a first Hawthorns defeat since October.
“I said to the players after the game that this result can’t derail us because there is lots of football still to be played.
“We can’t let it stop us and take us away from what we’re trying to do here in terms of a new form of identity.
“[Saturday] was a little setback but it cannot, and will not, stop us from building on what we have done so far.”
Boro are level on points with Albion, who are now seven adrift of the top two, albeit with a game in hand.
West Brom made all the running in an attacking sense on Saturday, as Pulis set up his team to defend with five at the back.
Albion will look to bounce back on Saturday when they visit another former Pulis side with a trip to Stoke City.
Having been ineligible for Wednesday night’s FA Cup replay against Brighton, Jefferson Montero (on loan from Swansea) and Stefan Johansen (on loan from Fulham) will be set to make their debut at the Potters. Newcastle loanee Jacob Murphy, who featured against Boro, was the other deadline-day signing to miss the Brighton tie because they all signed after the first fixture at the Amex Stadium.
Albion signed four players in total during January, with defender Mason Holgate having arrived on loan from Everton earlier in the month.
Luke Dowling is “delighted” with the business completed in his first transfer window as technical director.
“The four players we’ve brought in help us,” said Dowling, who left his post at Nottingham Forest to join the Baggies in September.
“I think it’s easy to forget Mason at the start of the window because of the excitement of the last day, but the players we’ve signed in total have left us really pleased. We had to fight off some heavy competition.
“Even when word got out that Everton were willing to release Mason to get him more game-time and develop him as a player, two Premier League teams and competition from the top half of the Championship wanted him. And, to be fair, there was more financial gain for Mason in some offers.
“We had the same with young Jacob and Stefan, but they’ve seen the project we’re on, they’ve seen how Darren works and what we want to do as a club.
“And I don’t think we can ignore they’ve seen the quality of players we’ve got in the squad.
“They know they are coming in to join a group of very good players.”