West Brom 1 Coventry 0: Chris Lepkowski's big match verdict and player ratings
Mar 25 2010 by Christopher Lepkowski, Birmingham Mail
WHEN West Brom won promotion two years ago they clinched it on 78 points – exactly where they are now.
They were to finish the season on 81 points as champions.
No doubt they will need more than that this time. But last night’s win keeps them in the hunt for the silverware and out of range as far as Nottingham Forest are concerned.
Albion won their fifth League game in a row – their best run since 2004.
But they made hard work of it all.
Imagine, if you will, trying to control a shopping trolley full of eggs down a pot-holed street – preferably without smashing a single one.
And now think of the satisfaction you get when you reach the bottom and find they’re all intact.
It was a bit like that at The Hawthorns. Such was Albion’s performance, as they wobbled their way to an important victory against Coventry – thanks to Steven Reid’s first-half goal.
It keeps Albion in second spot, just a couple of points shy of Newcastle and eight clear of Nottingham Forest – the Baggies’ two main rivals who face each other next Monday.
The Baggies were dominant in the first-half and had an excellent Reid volley, his first goal for the club, to show for their efforts.
But Coventry were the more forceful side after the break.
The Sky Blues pushed Albion further and further back but the home side held on.
Their goal came from a corner. Gabriel Tamas missed it, Reid volleyed it in.
And Albion should have had a second when Robert Koren’s shot clearly crossed the line only to be declared as not crossing the line as Keiren Westwood scrambled it into his hands.
