View: 19y/o gives Bilic food for thought – Three things learned in West Brom win v Charlton
West Brom ensured their name would be in the hat for the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win away at Charlton on Sunday.
Kenneth Zohore’s first goal since August was enough for the Baggies to edge out a narrow win at The Valley but truth be said, the home side were lucky to have not been more comprehensively beaten.
Slaven Bilic made 11 changes to his starting line-up ahead of the trip to the capital so he will have no doubt been pleased with what he saw from the selection of fringe players and youngsters who sealed the victory.
Here, West Brom News examines three things learned about the win against Charlton:
- Harper gives Bilic food for thought
Rekeem Harper made his first senior appearance since August when he was named to start at The Valley on Sunday but it remains to be seen whether the 19-year-old has earned the trust of Bilic. The central midfielder was a key player last term but has been completely overlooked by the Croatian since he was hired in the summer. Harper put in a solid shift against the Addicks and Bilic gave him a round of applause when he was substituted off. Jake Livermore has not been in the best form as of late and Harper could now be pushing him for his spot in the first team.
2. Zohore stakes his claim
Since joining West Brom in an £8million deal from Cardiff in the summer, Zohore has had a bit of a nightmare at The Hawthorns. Before the trip to Charlton he had not scored from open play and had only managed to make 12 Championship appearances with only four of them being starts. However he definitely put in his best performance for Albion on Sunday and that is bound to have Hal Robson-Kanu and Charlie Austin sweating over their current place in the pecking order.
3. FA Cup run and Championship promotion bid can be simultaneous
Why can’t West Brom go on a run in the FA Cup and continue pushing for automatic promotion to the Premier League? Bilic named a completely different starting line-up at The Valley yet still saw his side win. West Brom’s key players are going to be well-rested ahead of the second trip in a row to Charlton next weekend and that puts them in a good position to get a win. Of course, you need to get a bit lucky with the draw but with the way West Brom’s fringe players performed on Sunday, you’d imagine they would even give some Premier League clubs a good game.
In other West Brom news, Chris Brunt could have hinted at a possible exit on Sunday.