Damia Abella sends message to West Brom fans as interim duty ends

Damia Abella shared a message with the West Brom supporters after Saturday's 1-1 draw against Stoke City.

The draw on Saturday (18 January) will mark the end of his interim duties alongside Chris Brunt after Tony Mowbray completed a sensational return to The Hawthorns.

While Abella will resume his usual duties at Albion, his impact without a recognised manager did not go unnoticed, and the Spaniard ensured the supporters understand his appreciation via X (18 January).

Writing: "The commitment and the desire from the players got us the point. I believe we deserved more. Thanks for your support Baggies, [it] is always good to have that 12th player from the stands."

West Brom ready to begin a new era under Tony Mowbray

The 61-year-old watched from the stands at The Hawthorns as Grady Diangana salvaged a share of the spoils for West Brom.

It was hardly the send-off Brunt and Abella would have envisioned after Nathan Lowe opened the scoring inside 10 minutes for the visitors, but they will leave the squad in capable hands.

Mowbray guided the Baggies to the Premier League at the end of the 2007/08 campaign and will be tasked with replicating his feat this season.

He will face a baptism of fire with a trip to playoff rivals Middlesbrough in his first game back in charge, but should he begin his second stint in winning fashion, he will set down a marker for the rest of the year.

The West Brom faithful have endured a tumultuous few weeks since Carlos Corberan packed his bags for Valencia - while no one would begrudge the ex-boss for returning to his boyhood club, he certainly left the Black Country outfit in a difficult position.

Luckily, Shilen Patel refused to panic and waited until the perfect candidate fell into his lap - and what a decision that proved to be.

Mowbray is still a beloved figure in the West Midlands, and with a strong relationship with the supporters already forged, Albion are in a fantastic position to push on in their Premier League promotion aspirations.

In other West Brom news, Michael Dawson was wowed by what he heard about Tony Mowbray and the Baggies live on air today.

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