West Brom claimed their first clean sheet of the new Championship season at Bristol City on Saturday – but their wait for that first elusive away win since April continues as they played out a goalless draw at Ashton Gate.
In a game of two halves, the Robins were dominant in the first period, but the Baggies wrestled back the momentum in the second and went close through a host of different players, but while Albion haven’t struggled to hit the net this term, that one killer moment eluded them.
The first half made for uncomfortable viewing. As the game settled down in the early stages, the hosts quickly asserted dominance. The wily Nahki Wells caused all sorts of problems for the Albion back-line, namely the returning Semi Ajayi, while Cedric Kipre was busy blocking a low shot of the Bermudan early doors.
Wide-men Sam Bell and Mark Sykes both enjoyed themselves on either flank as Albion continued to live dangerously right through the opening 45, much of it their own doing – there wasn’t one Albion player over the course of that half who didn’t give up possession or make a sloppy pass at some stage.
That includes Alex Palmer, who was otherwise assured but who misjudged a long ball which bounced just in front of his penalty area. Palmer missed his contact with the ball, and that gave Sykes a sniff. The angle was tight, but Sykes squeezed an attempt onto the post, which mercifully rebounded out of the path of Wells.
Albion needed a response in the second half, and that was evident; over the course of the second half Corberan turned to his bench and used up all five of his allocated substitutions over the course of the 45 and they made an impact, but the Baggies – who haven’t had trouble scoring so far this season – just couldn’t force it over the line, whether that was via John Swift, who hit the bar with a header, or Conor Townsend, or Josh Maja.
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