West Brom recorded their first win under Alan Pardew on Saturday afternoon against a sub standard Brighton side who failed to show their usual intent in the final third. Goals from two unlikely players in Jonny Evans and Craig Dawson were enough to reduce the gap between The Baggies and safety.
Pardew reflects on important win for The Baggies
"It was a very important game in the calendar," said Pardew. "We worked hard to achieve the goals we wanted in the game. Our open play was as goods as it's been since I've been here so it's quite ironic that we got two set play goals. But we are strong at set plays so it all builds well going forward."
Two brilliant set-piece deliveries from Chris Brunt and Matt Phillips produced the goods for West Brom, with Jonny Evans netting inside the opening five minutes to set the tone for the game. Craig Dawson followed suit in the second-half, producing a powerful close-range header at the back post to secure the three points in a thoroughly dominant performance from Pardew's men.
"We had to get the three points today and there was a lot of facets to the game. I thought we manaed the last 20 minutes well and our work was reflected on the pitch as it should be. You work hard on the training ground and you get your reward on Saturday. They’ve done that for me and I'm very pleased for the players."
"We've put new ideas in and changed it round a bit and had players come back to us like Dawson who was a big threat."
"The big highlight was the stadium," says Pardew
The crowd played a huge part for The Baggies at the weekend, with spectators in fine voice throughout the contest to guide Pardew's team towards an important win. Often left subdued by the turgid nature of their play, the fans did no such thing here and Pardew believes they will be at the heart of West Brom's fight to remain in the Premier League.
"The big highlight was the stadium. To be on the run we are on and to have a stadium like that we can count ourselves very fortunate. I thank them because its going to be massive going forward and if we can get a home crowd like that every week in the remaining games, we will win enough."