Reading 0-2 West Brom - Report
Richard Beale began his caretaker spell by ending Albion's nine-match winless run as academy graduate Taylor Gardner-Hickman took centre stage from midfield.
The 20-year-old was handed a Reading recall by the Baggies under-21s boss and created Albion's first goal, dispatched by Matty Phillips, in a wonderful and timely 2-0 win in Berkshire for just a second Championship success of the season.
Gardner-Hickman then rounded off a week which started with Albion sacking Steve Bruce with a stunning second from 25 yards to seal the win - his first senior goal.
It was, remarkably, the Baggies' first away win since April 30 - which came at the very same ground at the end of last season.
It also ended a desperate run of eight Championship games without a win - nine in all competitions - for the visitors, who climbed two places out of the drop zone to 20th.
It was the perfect afternoon for interim chief Beale, who has worked in the club's academy since the summer of 2021, and the Baggies' production line came home to roost on a memorable afternoon backed by a boisterous away following.
The "...he's one of our own" chant was given several renditions at the Select Car Leasing Stadium as the Royals, who started fifth in the league, were swept aside.
The cries were reserved for Gardner-Hickman, for a virtuoso display, goalkeeper Alex Palmer, for a string of important late saves, and 18-year-old Reyes Cleary, the exciting forward introduced from the bench for the final half hour for his league debut.
Marshalled by another graduate, Dara O'Shea - who performed excellently at the back - Albion made it back-to-back clean sheets for the first time this season, with soft goals shipped so often their Achilles Heel this term.
Matty Phillips continues his renaissance with a first goal in over a year as Albion's back three and wing-back system came up trumps. Martin Kelly and Erik Pieters were solid, once more.
Reading, with manager Paul Ince not in the dugout due to illness, were comfortably second best. They rallied late on and forced some chances when two-goals behind but it was too little too late.
The win provides Albion's decision-makers Ron Gourlay and Guochuan Lai some food for thought and thinking time as they continue the recruitment process in search of Bruce's replacement.
The club are satisfied with the caretaker team of Beale, Gary Walsh and club legends James Morrison and Chris Brunt, and with a quick turnaround to Tuesday's home game against Bristol City, the first-team looks well set for the coming days.
It is, hopefully, only the start of a Baggies 2022/23 recovery, but signs moving forward are promising and any would-be new managers watching on today will surely have been encouraged by what they saw - the loud away end certainly was.
Beale opted for just one change from the side that recorded a goalless draw at home to Luton in Bruce's final game in charge last weekend.
Gardner-Hickman earned a recall in place of Okay Yokuslu, who dropped to the bench. For academy graduate Gardner-Hickman it was a first midfield start in the league this season.
There were further changes on the bench from the caretaker boss, including the inclusion of 18-year-old starlet Cleary, who further boosted his reputation with a stunning under-21s hat-trick on Monday.
Darnell Furlong also returned to the bench having been left out of the last two games under Bruce. Adam Reach and Tom Rogic were the pair to miss out of the matchday squad. John Swift was on the bench against his former club, who he represented 202 times over 6 years.
Beale kept Phillips at right wing-back and the Baggies' back three, which recorded a rare second clean sheet in 13 games last time out, remained intact.
For the hosts, who had started the season in fine form under Paul Ince but had not won in two, there were some familiar faces for travelling Albion fans.
They included striker Andy Carroll, who recently re-joined the Royals having spent the second half of last season with Albion.
Carroll, 33, had some choice words for former boss Bruce in the week, saying that under the latter Reading would be guaranteed three points.
Shane Long, another former Baggies frontman, returned from injury to the bench. He moved to Berkshire after many years with Southampton.
Beale prowled the away technical area at the Madejski just along from what was a vocal away end. He was supported by coach James Morrison, in the dugout rather than gantry with his caretaker role.
The interim boss would have been pleased with his side's bright, front-footed start in Berkshire. The Baggies were first to every second ball and delivered some dangerous low crosses from either flank. Brandon Thomas-Asante's effort from Diangana's cross was blocked before Phillips shot narrowly over from distance.
A lengthy stoppage due to a knock to Junior Hoilett did Albion's bright start little favours and the contest had settled down by the time the visitors struck, almost out of nowhere.
The opened owed to the individual quality of Gardner-Hickman and Phillips.
The former pinged a wonderful, raking 40-yard pass from the heart of midfield out to the right, where it dropped right on to the toe of the wing-back.
Phillips' touch, composure and poise to dart beyond his marker and into the box was exquisite. He showed the same levels of calm once near goal in opting for a side-footed finish which deceived and beat Dean Bouzanis at the keeper's near post.
A rare league lead was most welcome and the perfect start for Beale. It might not have lasted long, though, as the Royals almost managed an immediate equaliser through reported summer Albion target Lucas Joao.
Hoilett whipped in a fine cross from the right and Joao made a good near-post run, only for his flicked header to fly well wide across goal.
Other goalmouth openings were few and far between in a quiet remainder of the first half - which Albion were happy enough with given their slender.
Reading fans fumed as a very optimistic penalty shout against Carroll - where the frontman did not even appeal - was waved away. Albion marshalled their former striker well in the first period. Thomas-Asante shot wide across goal as the Baggies countered.
The second period began a livelier affair than where the first had finished up.
There was drama inside 20 seconds as the previously untested Palmer in Albion's goal hashed his clearance from outside the box, only for Dara O'Shea to nod back to the stricken keeper. The Baggies just survived the scare.
Albion, though, worked a huge opening just a minute later. Wallace was released down the right by captain Jake Livermore and the winger typically found an accurate low delivery to pick out Diangana in all kinds of space.
Diangana should have shot first time from 12 yards but opted to take a touch and was eventually smothered and his effort was blocked. He thought he had even more time and space.
It was a tale of two Wallace crosses shortly afterwards. As first the ex-Millwall man delayed too long with Thomas-Asante free for a tap-in, before the next cross was bang on the money, only for the striker to be caught on his heels.
A frenetic start to the second period petered out, much like the first half. A smattering of boos from the away end greeted the departure of Carroll as a sub just after the hour mark.
Beale made a bold call a couple of minutes later in handing a league debut to 18-year-old Cleary while also sending on Karlan Grant at the same time.
Cleary immediately busied himself from the left of Albion's attack and eyed a break with his fresh legs as the Baggies countered.
There was little in the general play as the second period edged beyond its midway point and, into the final 20 minutes, step forward Gardner-Hickman.
The academy graduate showed tigerish energy to harry and hound out experienced midfielder Jeff Hendrick.
And once Gardner-Hickman won the ball there was no mistaking what he had in mind. He charged forward towards the D outside the Royals box and, from fully 25 yards, let fly a rocket into the left corner beyond Bouzanis' despairing dive.
It was some way to mark a first Baggies goal for the 20-year-old and he celebrated in fitting style in front of a raucous away end who duly hailed "one of our own".
The Baggies had endured some late horrorshows at the Madejski Stadium over the years and, while not overly stretched, Palmer was very much needed to stop another.
The keeper did his No.1 credentials no harm with some impressive and key stops to keep out the Royals, who forced enough chances to have mounted a two-goal comeback.
First he parried from on-loan Porto midfielder Mamadou Loum before Hendrick stabbed the rebound wide.
Palmer then held on to Tom McIntyre's near-post header and made a sharp save to deny sub Yakou Meite. The save from Loum's strike from the edge of the box may have been the busy Palmer's pick of the bunch.
Tom Ince was denied from distance before Palmer made a close-range double save to deny Hoilett just before stoppage time.
By that stage the points were safe and Albion ended a nine-match winless run with an afternoon to remember in Berkshire.
Teams
Reading (3-5-2): Bouzanis; Yiadom, Holmes, McIntyre; Hoilett, Hendrick, Loum, Ince, Guinness-Walker; Joao, Carroll (Meite, 64).
Subs not used: Boyce-Clarke, Fornah, Mbengue, Abbey, Senga, Long.
Albion (3-4-3): Palmer; O'Shea, Kelly, Pieters; Phillips, Gardner-Hickman, Livermore (c) (Molumby, 79), Townsend; Wallace (Yokuslu, 79), Thomas-Asante (Grant, 65), Diangana (Cleary, 65).
Subs not used: Button, Furlong, Swift.
Attendance: tbc
Referee: Tim Robinson
