Lewis Cox gives his analysis as Albion made it two wins from two at the start of their Championship season. An Isaac Price double and a goal from Jed Wallace helped Albion to see off the newly promoted side.
00:00Well, welcome to Wrexham indeed, where the baggies have been here today and long departed actually, 3-2 winners on quite the spectacle, I must say.
00:10There's still some home supporters milling around, looking around the place, obviously some fans coming from further afield, as you can imagine.
00:19But it's the Albion who are buzzing the most today and are delighted as they maintain a 100% start to the new championship season, of course, to make it two wins from today's.
00:303-2 victory here at the racecourse. Quite the game, really, and quite the result for Albion.
00:36I think, speaking to fans and people before the game, I think most sort of said, look, shake your hand for a point now, you know, we'll take a draw.
00:46We know the occasion more than everything, all the anticipation around everything that, you know, the host's first game here, the TV cameras, the owners, yeah, everything that comes with it, the sort of sideshow of it all.
00:57But, look, credit to Ryan Mason, absolutely, and his players. They didn't get bogged down or involved in any of that.
01:03You know, this was just another game for them, an away game in the championship that's tough.
01:07And Albion were good value for this victory today, this 3-2 win.
01:11I don't know if perhaps they deserve to win it by more than the odd goal. I'm not sure about that.
01:15I mean, a Wrexham had a go, credit to them, obviously, learning about this division as they go.
01:21Albion were much a better side in the first half, I thought, and good value, well-deserved for the 1-0 lead they almost and should have took in to half-time through Isaac Price's opener.
01:30He continues his wonderful form to start the season.
01:32But a bit of poor defensive play allowed the hosts in, actually, to equalise just before half-time.
01:39And at 1-1 for a lot of the second half, really and truthfully, it perhaps could have gone either way.
01:45I thought Albion continuously looked the most threatening side, had more capabilities going forward.
01:49But Wrexham, you know, the atmosphere, the sort of anticipation of the home faithful grew as it went on at 1-1.
01:56And, you know, to be fair to Phil Parkinson's side, they had chances too.
01:59You know, both sides had chances.
02:01Arguably Wrexham more in that second period at 1-1.
02:04You know, one just went past the post, think it was a new boy broadhead.
02:07You had Connor Cody head wide, former Wolves man.
02:11At 1-1, you didn't quite know which way it was going to go.
02:14You know, it was cranked up, as I say, the atmosphere.
02:16And everything hinged on Ryan Mason's double change.
02:20His first substitutions in the 74th minute, he turned to the bench for club captain Jed Wallace and Mikey Johnson.
02:29A double wing change.
02:32And off came Tom Fellows.
02:33Surprisingly to me, I thought Fellows had been Albion's best player.
02:35But Fellows came off.
02:36Carl and Grant came off.
02:37And before there was any chance to sort of debate those changes, to have any moans or gripes,
02:4128 seconds later, Jed Wallace had fired in at the near post for 2-1 with his left foot.
02:48Keeper error, really.
02:49Danny Ward, some desperate goalkeeping there, really.
02:51Should have kept the effort out.
02:52But delighted for Jed.
02:53What a moment for him.
02:54What a big goal it was.
02:55You know, and Mikey Johnson, the fellow sub, the other sub, teed him up with a pass.
03:00So it was double sub delight, really, for Ryan Mason.
03:02And less than 30 seconds to make that happen.
03:05Incredible, really, in the 75th minute.
03:07Got even better, really, from Albion's perspective.
03:09And the change's perspective, actually.
03:10Because Mikey Johnson, again, obviously one of the double changes crossed for Isaac Price
03:15to head in his second, Albion's third, to make it 3-1 with 10 minutes to go.
03:20And by then, it was safe and secure.
03:21You know, the away end was bouncing.
03:23They were dancing, come full-time with Shillam Patel.
03:25We'd seen Rex and Paul one back deep, deep, deep, deep into stoppage time.
03:29Consolation for 3-2.
03:31But a great victory.
03:32You know, I don't think too many neutrals or even Albion fans back to a Baggies win today.
03:37Look, not mentioned it in the whole of this video so far, but Albion haven't won away from
03:42the Hawthorns since last November.
03:4415 league attempts ago.
03:46It's been dismal, hasn't it?
03:47You know, last season, let's make no bones about it.
03:49The away form, nothing short of dismal.
03:52And to go along with it, by the way, last season hadn't won back-to-back games.
03:55How often did we say that?
03:56Consecutive wins.
03:57And here we are, start of the season, you know.
04:01Home win last weekend.
04:02Away win here.
04:03Chalk them off, tick next to them.
04:05A consecutive victory.
04:07The consecutive victories.
04:09Home and away to start up.
04:11What a start for Ryan Mason, really.
04:13I mean, we're not going to get carried away.
04:14Obviously, Cup defeat in midweek.
04:16But, you know, Mason's just said to me,
04:18they're actually of the three games, the best we played in the Cup in midweek.
04:21Obviously, penalty shootout after late drama there.
04:23A really, really, really encouraging start for a new head coach to open up like this.
04:27Obviously, owners here today, Shillam Patel, you know, and co-Ashish.
04:31And all the talk and all the sort of hype is around Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, isn't it?
04:37Understandably here, obviously, for their first home championship game.
04:40But it was Shillam Patel and his cousin Ashish with the celebrating, dancing,
04:45doing the boing-boing with the away end, come full-time.
04:47And that tells you the whole story.
04:48What a start for a young head coach in Ryan Mason,
04:52starting out in a senior permanent head coach gig for the first time.
04:56If he'd have dreamt about how the first couple of weeks would have gone,
04:59it would have been something like this.
05:02Yeah, big performances today.
05:04I mentioned Isaac Price, but many others.
05:06There are certainly those from the bench as well.
05:08You can catch my player ratings online from the morning, Sunday morning,
05:11on Express and Star.
05:12I've got loads from the Albion head coach already on the website.
05:16So, yeah, enjoy.
05:18Good times, I think.
05:19Certainly, you know, if the start of the season is anything to go,
05:22but a lot of excitement, a lot of optimism.
05:24What an encouraging start.
05:25Obviously, the couple of signings at the end of last week,
05:27Christian Bielik and Toby Collier.
05:29Collier, the Manchester United loanee, got on for a debut cameo there
05:32last couple of minutes.
05:34And, yeah, a lot to look forward to, isn't there,
05:36between now and, you know, next Saturday.
05:38Obviously, Portsmouth at the Hawthorns.
05:41Attractive enough game on paper to hopefully continue
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