'He's electric': Lewis Cox and Jonny Drury analysis after West Brom win over Preston

Express & Star

Jonny Drury and Lewis Cox give their take after Albion's win over Preston. Mikey Johnston's stunning first half strike put Albion in front - before Isaac Price added to the lead in the second half. Albion looked to be cruising but Preston captialised on a mistake at the back to set up a nervy finish. But the Baggies held out and picked up their second home win of the season.

Transcript

00:00Baggies fans, welcome to Expressandstar.com, my name is Jonny Drew, I'm here with Lewis

00:12Cox who flew in last night to see Albion pick up a superb 2-1 victory over Preston, leapfogged

00:20the visitors here today with two stunning strikes, first Mikey Johnston who took the

00:24net off with an absolute rasping strike, Isaac Price made it too, then Albion, as Albion

00:29do, made it a little bit nervy towards the end but they got over the line, Coxie given

00:34the home form, given a patchy form lately, the win is the main thing today but the headlines

00:41are two absolute stunning strikes. I didn't fly him just for the game, for the record

00:45Jonny, I was coming home, although some people would have you believe that I, you know, away

00:52every week, I'd not be, no, no, no, we've got a busy week ahead haven't we Jonny, on the

00:57road, yeah, a good win, I think in quite an even, a relatively even game against a good

01:03side, we both said that on a couple of occasions didn't we, certainly in the first half, when

01:08it was level obviously Albion broke the deadlock just before half time we said, you know, clearly

01:13Preston started the day in fourth, you know, great position for them in the October international

01:18break and I think we could see why, they looked confident, they had a bit of intent, their team

01:23sheet may not read the most glamorous in the division and I don't think they have the

01:28most riches do they but whatever Paul Heggenmottom's got sort of together this season seems to be

01:33going for them and they started quite well, I thought there was very little in the game

01:36and you've just mentioned it, two moments, and Ryan Mason as in there to me as well, two

01:40individual moments of brilliant, really frowning have decided the game and I think, you know,

01:45all round a hard working display, Preston, a 2-0 on the hour, I think Albion gets second,

01:52we kind of think that might be that, you're never safe for 2-0 are you and it only takes

01:57one, the opposition getting one back and it's a bit squeaky bum isn't it and a bit edgy

02:02and Albion have struggled with late goals so far this season haven't they and Mason intimated

02:08that there but nine minutes of stoppage time they saw out relatively comfortably until Josh

02:13Josh Griffiths had to go flying. What's the line? Utter word nonsense.

02:18Johnny wasn't happy when nine minutes went up on the board, to be honest neither was Ryan

02:22Mason, he said he's going to have a word with the fourth official about that because

02:25that did not warrant nine minutes did it at all. You can understand VAR in the Premier

02:31League, you know, those breaks taking nine minutes but not that. Anyway ironically it was

02:36in the eighth or ninth minute when Preston finally sort of troubled Albion and Griffiths

02:41wasn't it and he pulled off that fine late save from Daniel Jebberson from distance but

02:46when Preston pulled one back it was only through an error wasn't it? Chris Meppham

02:50missed a clearance. We'll get into a couple of other little flash points obviously you know

02:55Preston probably should have had a penalty in the first half with the score line at 0-0,

02:59you know, probably would have changed the game. They went through one-on-one first half

03:02didn't they after another Metamera but Griffiths made the save so it could have gone differently

03:07today and it was not an easy game and Albion have struggled for results this season but

03:11they've put that right at least. Yeah, they got the rub of the green at certain times today.

03:15Massive saves from Griffiths, huge praise for him again. The penalty was a cast-iron penalty

03:20and would have changed the game. However, you know, decisions like that have gone against Albion

03:24you know, maybe not this season but we've seen it happen and the old swings and roundabouts

03:28they even themselves out. You know, Albion will no doubt be on the wrong end of one of them

03:32later in the season but the real, the headline grabbers of Johnston and obviously Price

03:37got a superb finish but I want to talk more about Mikey Johnston because we probably haven't seen him

03:41produce a level of consistent performances, you know, over a long period, probably since that loan spell

03:46you know, there were times last season where he looked like he was getting back to his kind of best

03:50and that Celtic loan spell but I thought today is the closest we've seen to Johnston

03:56being that player who, you know, scored those goals at Plymouth and Huddersfield

04:00if you remember it, during that loan spell and obviously the wonderful strike against QPR

04:04which this one, you know, apart from hitting the bar was kind of akin to, I thought it was so dangerous

04:09and when he, when he hit, he is kind of sharp and on it like that, you know, he's almost the kind of

04:15catalyst for dragging Albion forward and that goal was absolutely stunning

04:19if he can hit a run of consistency with all these players coming back, you know, we had D.K. on the bench there

04:24we had Grant Bannings coming back, I thought Samuel Lillen Jr. was very sharp as well

04:29but he's the one who kind of leads it and when he plays well, Albion looked more dangerous

04:33and we saw that today.

04:34Yeah, ironically, I mean, you were in there weren't you, Ryan Mason speaking on Mikey there

04:39he said some interesting things, I don't want to give too much away but a flavour, in essence

04:45he said that when Albion went and won at Norwich the other mid-week, Josh Madras scored a winner

04:50sort of tap-in six-yard box, Ryan Mason said he was as happy to see Mikey Johnson loitering

04:56in that six-yard box ready for a tap-in as he was with that today from the best part of 30 yards

05:02I think he suggested, he highlighted the nice goal Johnson scored against Pompey earlier in the season here

05:09in the 1-1 draw, he said look, a player of Johnson's qualities, he'll get goals like that over the course of the season

05:14I think that, you know, he's clearly got that in his locker hasn't he and we want to see it more admittedly

05:18but Mason said, look, I want to see him score the scruffy goals, you know, the tap-ins, be in the box for the back post

05:27and I thought that was really interesting because, you know, and again he suggested the head coach that

05:32being a winger is about consistency, most positions are but, you know, if you're a winger there's that old thing

05:37isn't there of, you drop in and out of games, you'll not always be able to beat you

05:42but yeah, and look, regular viewers and listeners to our podcast will know we're both fans of Johnson

05:48aren't we, I certainly am, we basically say, he gets fans off their seats, he takes on

05:54his sort of opposition number, he's never afraid to try something

05:59and it's not always going to come off, is it, because he, you know, doesn't play for Real Madrid

06:03with respect, if it always comes off, he wouldn't be in a championship, would he?

06:07So, look, I think he's generally a threat

06:11but today, he was electric, as the chant goes

06:14from the start to the end, wasn't he really, he was a threat throughout, he looked really sharp

06:19even before that stunning goal to break the deadlock in the 40th minute, you know, what a strike it was

06:25the only shock really was that Preston allowed him the five yards

06:29to have a go, but what a goal

06:32He took full advantage, didn't he? Yeah

06:34His goal put Albie in front, a superb goal from Isaac Price, you know, and then that mistake at the back

06:39and Albie kind of are soaking up pressure, and I know fans, you know, when it got to Tuna

06:44it looked like Albie were going to see it out, you know, they didn't go and get that third

06:46they were pushing to try and get that third goal

06:49and I know fans want them to roll over teams or get more goals

06:52you know, it's not quite happening at the moment

06:55but for me, exactly, yeah

06:58but for me today, you know, the fact that they saw it out of the death

07:00and they've done it against Norwich as well

07:02it's a massive kind of mentality shift away from the likes of Leicester and Derby

07:07and what has happened earlier in the season

07:09and we may just be seeing that little sea change

07:12but, you know, the fact that Albie can see these games out is a massive kind of confidence booster as well

07:19Yeah, Mason suggested that, you know, unprompted he brought up those instances

07:22you know, where they've been done at the death really

07:25Great rice, Coxie

07:26Yeah, well, okay, you said it

07:28you know, late on when, you know, in Mason's view

07:31his side have deserved more here

07:33Leicester, Derby

07:34I think they've deserved to win and draw those at least, haven't they?

07:37and obviously not

07:39let's be honest, I mentioned it at the top

07:42but last time out at Millwall a fortnight ago

07:44I know you weren't there

07:45but it was comfortably as bad as it's been so far this season

07:49Albin have been better away from home, we know that

07:51they had to improve here anyway

07:53it's the first win since the opening day

07:55and Blackburn at home here at the start of August

07:57it feels like a while ago, doesn't it?

07:59it's dark and cold now

08:00but they had to address that home record

08:03you can't be having your away form better than you

08:06you just can't, can you?

08:07and you can't let that last

08:09and it was the next game

08:10they had to have that feeling of more

08:13they needed a response, didn't they?

08:14they needed a response

08:15they needed a response

08:16yeah, yeah, and it's not always

08:17look, a good few Albin players, important players

08:18go away for their countries, don't they?

08:20and heavily involved starters today

08:22you know, Mepham, Styles, Isaac Price

08:27obviously, Malumby was a sub today but came on

08:30you know, so it's not always the easiest

08:35the international breaking championship

08:36and to rally, regroup

08:38some of those players wouldn't have got back

08:39to a Wednesday, Thursday this week

08:40but, yeah, a positive day

08:43encouraging performance I think

08:44and you made a good point

08:46and head coach said it there

08:48you know, just try and overcome those stumbles

08:52and the pain was felt in similar instances

08:56and Preston are a good side I thought

08:59I don't think they troubled Albin too much

09:01I think the moments they got in were Albin errors

09:03yeah, and I think

09:04more mistakes

09:05you know, I think

09:06look, Chris Mepham had a tough day today

09:08didn't he?

09:09and one or two things went wrong for him

09:11however

09:13you know, they've got away with it

09:15and they've got over the line

09:16so an important victory

09:18really important victory to recover

09:19to set the record straight here

09:21it's a tough week ahead, isn't it?

09:22going to Watford and Ipswich

09:23the schedule

09:25but up to the league table looks nice, doesn't it?

09:27up to fourth

09:28and I think home fans will have

09:30left happy today

09:31you know, individual moments of quality

09:32in the final third

09:33Madger starting

09:34you know, what a boost that is

09:36you mentioned

09:37you've been back on the bench with DK

09:39Jed Wallace missing with a little knock

09:42but, yeah, that aside

09:44we saw Toby Collier limp off, didn't we?

09:46after his first home start

09:48hopefully he isn't too bad

09:49that's one to be assessed

09:50otherwise, yeah, we roll on to Watford, don't we?

09:54Albion in a decent position

09:55they certainly are

09:56Albion up to fourth

09:57two stunners

09:58grabbed at the headlines

09:59there as Albion came out

10:00with a 2-1 victory

10:01over Preston

10:02it was a little bit nervy

10:03but they got over the line

10:04in the end

10:05so far score here

10:06Albion 2, Preston 1

10:07all the rest of your reaction

10:08you know where to go

10:09expressandstar.com

10:10in the end

10:11and you can see

10:12the next one

10:13in the end

10:14in the end

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