THERE was a time when an Albion manager – back when they called them ‘managers’ at The Hawthorns – would have frowned on Saturday’s performance at Nottingham Forest.

Free-flowing football was hard to come by and there was little over-elaboration.

Roberto Di Matteo made no apologies for his side’s lack of flowing football.

And why should he? Priority No.1 for this season is promotion. Aesthetics – which will come as the season settles – can come later.

As it happens, the Italian was impressed with his side’s display.

And it’s certainly true that the class of 2009/10 showed more guile, nous and savvy than they would have a year ago.

There was even an element of ‘killing the game off’ in the final few minutes as Nottingham Forest threw men forward like their life, or afternoon, depended on it, which it did. Albion brought on defence-minded players to shore matters up.

Albion’s goal came with a charm attached to it. Luke Moore stretched for Jonathan Greening’s 52nd-minute cross and missed it. Graham Dorrans was stood behind him waiting to finish off. Instead, Wes Morgan duly obliged to score the second own goal in less than five days in Albion’s favour. It wasn’t all Forest’s game. During the opening half Albion pressed forward and should have been rewarded after just four minutes. Morgan, not enjoying a vintage afternoon, handled the ball outside the area.

Chris Brunt’s free-kick cut through the Nottingham air, rising above the heads of the Forest wall and seemed set to find a happy home in the top corner of Lee Camp’s goal – only for the goalkeeper to tip the ball on to the post and out of play. Forest enjoyed plenty of pressure.

They were gifted a chance just after the half-hour mark when Youssouf Mulumbu dithered over the ball by his own corner flag, allowing Nathan Tyson to nip in, relieve him of possession and whip in a cross which, after only being half-cleared by Jonas Olsson, was hooked wide by Dele Adebola.