Jonny Evans: Draw at Stoke more pleasing than West Ham win
Jonny Evans says Albion were more pleased to dig out a point away at Stoke than they were striking four goals past West Ham a week previously.
The Baggies defender, who says he headed the injury-time equaliser onto Salomon Rondon before it sailed into the far corner, reckons that late goal away from home shows more character than the performance against the hapless Hammers at The Hawthorns.
"It wasn't our best performance, it was very scrappy," said Evans. "As soon as we came out for the start of the game the wind just picked up, it's always like that here.
"We're probably more pleased with picking up a point here than the performance against West Ham. We dug in and sometimes it shows character to do that."
Albion's late equaliser came from a training ground corner routine that Tony Pulis had worked on the day before.
Jonathan Leko's cross looked destined for Evans until Rondon appeared from nowhere and glanced it into the far corner.
"We worked on attacking the front post," confirmed the centre-back. "I actually don't think Salomon was supposed to be there, but he's managed to get his head on it.
"I think I got a touch, I touched it onto his head and he's head-butted my head out of the way!
"It was nice for the ball to go into the back of the net. We practised attacking that area and it's paid off."
Albion were still in the game thanks to Craig Dawson's superb clearance off the line in the first half denied Glen Johnson after he had lifted the ball over Ben Foster.
"Clearances like that are as good as a goal in a way," said Dawson. "All the lads put their bodies on the line at the back and that's what defending is all about.
"Strikers tend to get the credit while the defence and the midfielders work hard. It was a great point and a great team performance."
But Evans joked that Dawson was just milking the credit, and the Northern Irishman is now steeling himself for a week of non-stop talk about that clearance.
"Sometimes as defenders, when you're making goal-line clearances and blocks, it's an indication that something's going wrong," said Evans.
"You don't want to be in that situation but when you're there and it has to be done, it's always nice when it comes off.
"Fair play to the big man for doing it. He'll be milking that now. He's probably on the phone to his agent asking for a pay rise!"
