West Brom warn chasing pack

West Bromwich Albion manager Darren Moore warned rivals that his side would only improve on the 3-2 victory over Preston North End that put them top of the Sky Bet Championship.

Jay Rodriguez scored his seventh league goal of the season, Marcus Gayle added another and Ben Davies scored an own goal as West Brom ended impressive resistance from the division’s bottom club.

“We’re a team in transition, we’re a team trying to progress, we’re a team trying to get results in a very tough division.” Moore said. “I really feel there is more to come and collectively as a group and as a club we have to keep working.”

Middlesbrough are third in the second tier after letting slip the opportunity to take top spot with a 1-1 draw away to Hull City. They failed to build on Britt Assombalonga’s close-range volley shortly after half-time. Ryan Shotton, the defender, admitted Boro’s recent wastefulness in front of goal is a concern for Tony Pulis’s side. “We’ve spoken about it a lot through this week, and we know exactly what we’ve been lacking,” he said. “We’ve got to put it right on the pitch. Does it make it harder being near the top? Definitely. Everybody wants to beat you.”

At the University of Bolton Stadium, Craig Noone honoured recently retired team-mate Stephen Darby by embracing the former Bolton Wanderers defender in the stands after scoring a first-half winner against Derby County.

Darby was forced to quit having been diagnosed with motor neurone disease. “I only had one thing on my mind – and that was to run to him,” Noone said.