Michael Appleton reacts to Josh Griffiths ‘mistake’ in West Brom draw v Blackburn
Micheal Appleton says that Josh Griffiths made a “mistake” while saving an effort from Ben Brereton Diaz as West Brom managed a 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday (15 February) at The Hawthorns.
The 21-year-old goalkeeper made his debut for the Baggies last night after Carlos Corberan dropped David Button for the game. The youngster didn’t let the team down but probably should have done better for Rovers’ goal.
Speaking on ITV, Appleton has praised the youngster for making some “decent” saves, but admits he made the mistake late on when it really mattered.
“Yeah, I feel for Josh [Griffiths] a little bit,” said Appleton on ITV’s EFL highlights on Wednesday night (15 February).
“He had a good game tonight, made a couple of decent stops early in the game. But when it really mattered late on, he made the mistake.”
Learning curve
It’s a learning curve for the youngster, but he will be really disappointed with that effort.
He was impressive throughout the game, and it was almost a near-perfect debut for him. A clean sheet would have given him loads of confidence.
It seems like Griffiths made a late movement to save the effort, and while he did get a hand to the ball, he couldn’t keep it out.
The youngster was recalled from loan at Portsmouth during the January window, and Corberan made a brave call to draft him into the starting line-up.
Button was very poor against Birmingham City, and he can’t be trusted. Corberan should be pleased with the youngster’s effort, and the club must stick with him until Alex Palmer returns from injury.
The Baggies going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment, as they picked up only one win from their last five games in all competitions. They are now without a win in their last two games in the league, and a strong performance is required when they face Watford on next Monday (20 February).
In other West Brom news, Albion pulled the plug on a late loan signing on deadline day.