Dean Ashton shares ‘ridiculous’ West Brom verdict on ITV after win v Middlesbrough
Dean Ashton was full of praise for the “ridiculous” form of West Brom at The Hawthorns this season after they defeated high-flying Middlesbrough 2-0 on Saturday (25 February).
Daryl Dike’s quickfire brace within the first ten minutes stretched Albion’s run to eight wins and a draw at The Hawthorns since the arrival of Carlos Corberan as manager in October of last year.
The Baggies were at their sumptuous best to defeat Michael Carrick’s side and remain just five points off the Championship play-off spots – something that Ashton put down to their superior home form when analysing the match on ITV’s English Football League Highlights show.
He said (Saturday, 25 February, 20:50): “West Brom’s home form is ridiculous, so again, it’s about if you have that experience, you know that you might lose a game like this.
“And to concede so early on, with the goals that they did and the manner they did, it can be hard to come back into games against sides that have the home record that West Brom have got.”
Back to their best
After a recent lull in form, the Baggies returned to their clinical best in what could be a season-defining result. Against a Boro side who had won five straight games in the league, this match posed one of the toughest tests Corberan has faced since taking the reins from Steve Bruce as manager.
However, from the very first whistle, Albion were in Middlesbrough’s faces and caught them napping with an early onslaught. American striker Dike did what he does best and finished off a couple of well-worked moves, and suddenly nerves were calmed within The Hawthorns.
A loss on Saturday wouldn’t have proved terminal to the club’s promotion chances this season, but it certainly would have provided a major dent, so claiming three points was huge.
The Baggies can now take this form into a favourable-looking run of fixtures against Hull City, Huddersfield and Wigan – all of whom are currently in the bottom half of the Championship table.
In other West Brom news, a Hollywood actor sent a reassuring message to one Baggies star after recent disappointment.