‘Filthy’ – Sky Sports pundit amazed at what he saw in West Brom win vs Preston
West Brom returned to winning ways on Saturday as they held on to see off Preston North End 2-1 at The Hawthorns.
Ryan Mason was after a response following West Brom’s 3-0 defeat to Millwall before the international break.
West Brom were always fancied to beat Preston and so that proved as Mikey Johnston and Isaac Price scored either side of half-time.
Michael Smith pulled one back for Preston with a little over 10 minutes of normal time to play, but they could not find a leveller at The Hawthorns.
Mikey Johnston scores superb goal in West Brom win vs Preston
Mason raised eyebrows with his West Brom team selection – or at least the selection of one player – but Albion performed well.
Johnston scored a fine opener to get West Brom off the mark, before Price’s equally impressive second seemed to put the game out of Preston’s reach.
It did not quite turn out that way, but Mason’s men did see out the win to get their promotion push firmly back on track.
And reporter Mark McAdam certainly liked what he saw, saying live on Sky Sports News: “Johnstone’s goal was filthy and the second one, from Price, was absolutely gorgeous.
“It’s all about the high press from the home side. Alex Mowatt, the captain, drives forward and has space and time.
“He goes to his left and Price did the same as Johnston in taking the ball, opening his body and curling into the top corner with a sensational finish.”
West Brom’s Championship position looking a lot healthier
West Brom had some positive omens ahead of facing Preston and they used them to their advantage.
This win lifts the Baggies into fourth place in the Championship and will lift the mood around The Hawthorns after the poor result against Millwall.
| Position | Team | Points | GD |
| 1) | Coventry City | 22 | 22 |
| 2) | Middlesbrough | 21 | 7 |
| 3) | Stoke City | 18 | 6 |
| 4) | West Brom | 17 | 0 |
The gap to the top two is still four points, but finishing in the top six was the overall target for Mason in his first season at the helm.
West Brom will have a chance to potentially close that gap to second-placed Middlesbrough when they face Watford at Vicarage Road on Tuesday.
Fingers crossed for a similar performance and result in that one.
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