SAM: I’VE BAGGED NO.1 SPOT
There’s Mour to enjoy at Albion for Johnstone
KEEPER Sam Johnstone has no regrets at leaving Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United for the Championship with West Brom.
Johnstone saved a penalty from Jordan Rhodes (right), which proved vital in a seven-goal bonanza, as the Baggies look to bounce straight back into the Premier League.
“It was a crazy game, it was end to end,” said Johnstone. “The quality of this team is unbelievable for the Championship, we just need to get used to the division.”
Although he conceded three goals, Johnstone was happy to be playing for boss Darren Moore after knowing he had no chance of displacing David De Gea at Old Trafford.
“I’ve been ready to leave for a couple of years,” said the 25-year-old, who was on loan at Aston Villa last season, before making a £6.5million switch to Albion last month.
“Luckily, I’ve still been able to go out and play football. I’m used to going out, away from United, and settling at new clubs.
“I was lucky enough to grow up at United and train with the best players in the world. But you have the best goalkeeper in the world there as well, so it wasn’t difficult.
“I wanted to play, I’m 25, I didn’t want to sit around and just train every day. This has been a great team to settle in with.” Johnstone went the right way to smother Rhodes’ tame penalty after remembering the striker’s technique from last season.
Rhodes got City off the mark with a close-range finish before Jay Rodriguez showed him how a penalty should be taken.
Tim Krul conceded the spot-kick with a foul on Dwight Gayle, then made a hash of a 30-yard swipe by Rodriguez as the Baggies went two up.
More sloppy defending kept West Brom in front with goals from Harvey Barnes and substitute Hal Robson-Kanu.
Norwich twice hit back through Teemu Pukki and skipper Grant Hanley in a pulsating match.
Canaries centre-half Hanley refused to let those Krul moments be used as an excuse for the defeat. “It happens,” said the former Newcastle defender. “Through the course of the season Tim will pull us out of the doo-dah more than he lets one of them in. “I don’t need to tell Tim – he’ll be disappointed with himself. “When you concede right at the start of the second half like that, it puts you on the back foot straight away and the mindset today was to try and be on the front foot. “For us, that’s totally unacceptable. You cannot be conceding four goals at home and the lads know that. “We tried to be aggressive and on the front foot – and we were to start with. But then to allow them back in the game, and to start the second half like that, it’s not good enough.”