Chris Brunt: Tony Mowbray's 'dedication' to West Brom players already started

Mowbray's return to The Hawthorns was confirmed on Friday night and the new head coach, 61, met players for the first time on the morning of the game and also played his role at half-time in the home dressing room.

Albion drew 1-1 against the Potters, who led for much of the clash while threatening to spoil Mowbray's return after Nathan Lowe's ninth-minute opener.

But, after Mowbray was invited by Brunt into the dressing room at the interval, Grady Diangana steered in a wonderful near-post finish 20 minutes from time for a deserved point. The Baggies were much stronger than the visitors and forced 23 shots but spurned a couple of great openings, not least a couple for midfielder Jayson Molumby.

Brunt said: "He has spoken to the lads a couple of times today, and in the coming weeks he will give the lads lots of information to improve the team.

"Something from my time is that he will do that, he is dedicated to improving individuals as well as his team, he has a great man, a good manager and he will take this football club forward."

Brunt, who oversaw a seventh and final caretaker fixture in his interim trio, added: "It is great to pass it on to someone I have a lot of respect for.

"He has done a great job here, and is well respected by everyone so that is a real positive for me.

"It would have been more of a relief passing it on having won the game to be honest. Swansea and today stand out in terms of having more points overall."

The Baggies paid for a sloppy defensive start against Stoke and Lowe, the recently-recalled Walsall loanee, bagged an instinctive early finish.

But Albion grasped control and were on top for most of the contest. The hosts were guilty of passing up presentable openings but did forge a handful of very decent chances.

"Yeah, a little bit, they started better than us and got the goal to give them something to hang on to," added Brunt.

"They defended well for the majority of the game and we had good opportunities that on another day we should have taken so the overriding feeling is disappointment.

"They way they played exposed a few things in our set up and once we got to grips with that, which took about half an hour to do, they we coped well with it.

"We had decent opportunities in the first half and then again in the second half and once we got the equaliser there was only going to be one winner.

"But Stoke defended their box well so it is another draw unfortunately."

He added: "There was no lack of quality or lack of effort and willingness to try things but it was that final pass or final ball that let us down.

"It is a similar feeling to Swansea, we had good opportunities but it was the final pass that was maybe overhit or not quite right, and that is football, you have days like that.

"On another day they go for us and go in, a bit like the Stoke one that was scruffy and fell to the lad."