Matt’s finish takes the gloss off job well done
ALBION ruthlessly exposed the 70-place gap between themselves and National League Chesterfield as they won their FA Cup third-round replay 4-0 at The Hawthorns.
John Swift scored the first goal then had a hand in the next two from Tom Rogic and Jake Livermore before substitute Jovan Malcolm headed the fourth.
Carlos Corberan’s in-form side made it ten wins in 12 games in all competitions. Here are the talking points.
Burnley blow
Things were going swimmingly until the very end when Matt Phillips hit the deck with nobody around him. Corberan was hoping Phillips’ half-hour cameo would pass without any issues as the last thing Albion need – with Karlan Grant sidelined and Brandon Thomas-Asante suspended – is another injury to an attacking player, especially one who is capable of playing the number nine role.
Corberan was clearly irritated by his poor luck, which has appeared to desert him in the last couple of weeks where attacking personnel are concerned, and fingers will be crossed that Phillips’ setback is not as severe as initially feared. At least, after Burnley tomorrow, Albion are not in league action again until next month.
It also places more emphasis on Daryl Dike, who has played just one 90-minute game in 12 months. By the time Coventry rolls around, the transfer window will be closed and you wonder if this spate of setbacks to Albion’s forward options might force them into the market before then.
Kids make their case
On a brighter note, Corberan clearly likes what he sees in a host of young players. On the day Zac Ashworth joined Burton on loan, two more rookies were handed first-team debuts and, in Malcolm’s case, notched their first senior goal. Jamie Andrews has been playing at Chesterfield’s level in recent months during a loan with Yeovil. Those within the club have been very impressed by his attitude and willingness to drop down three divisions to earn valuable game-time and use the platform to prove his worth. It has led to him earning a deserved call-up to the Albion first team as a result.
Andrews balanced the midfield with his left foot, complementing the right of captain Livermore, and for his hour he caught the eye with a decent passing range and lots of hard work off the ball.
Then there was Malcolm, who went one better on this occasion than fellow youngster Reyes Cleary – who went close in the first half to bagging his maiden goal – when he rose high at the death to nod home Albion’s fourth. A memorable night indeed.
Go Johnny go
“You guys haven’t seen Swifty yet – he’s even better, and there’s more to come, he knows that.”
That was a quote from Albion chief executive Ron Gourlay, who knows the qualities of John Swift from their time together at Reading.
Despite the fact the Baggies were playing a team three divisions below them, Swift has often been overshadowed by the likes of Jed Wallace and Thomas-Asante so this will hopefully act as a catalyst when it comes to Championship action.
That is certainly Corberan’s hope, after he complimented the playmaker for his hand in all three goals, including one deliciously-taken opener, during his 55 minutes on the pitch. That was all it took for him to be the best player on the field.
Impenetrable Hawthorns
It is now more than 11 hours since Albion last conceded on home soil. That’s 667 minutes, over six-and-ahalf matches, and Albion have won all of them.
It is an amazing turnaround considering the ease with which they were leaking goals earlier in the season. It is now the norm for Albion to send teams packing. You don’t hear that fateful roar from the away end any more, and that’s down to the work Corberan and his staff have put in on the training pitch.