West Brom shot-stopper Josh Griffiths impresses Carlos Corberan
Young Albion goalkeeper Josh Griffiths has won praise for a positive and mature reaction in just his second outing – despite conceding three goals.
The 21-year-old has earned the faith of Carlos Corberan to continue between the sticks for Albion in the injury absence of Alex Palmer after David Button struggled.
Griffiths, recalled from a loan at Portsmouth in January, suffered late debut disappointment last week as a free-kick from Blackburn’s Ben Brereton Diaz evaded his grasp.
He was beaten three times by Watford at Vicarage Road on Monday, but Ken Sema’s winner deflected in wickedly off Erik Pieters. Griffiths was unable to clear sufficiently in the box for Sema’s opener, following a scramble in his six-yard box.
“I think he’s growing with the team,” Corberan said when asked of highly-rated Griffiths’ display.
“He’s very young with not enough experience in the Championship.
“But I am watching the reaction I want to watch. Of course when you concede three goals you can be thinking ‘that was the keeper’ but I was watching more accidents for some of the goals than mistakes of the keeper.
“He was mature in the first half, he made one pass to Wallace, he tried to play from the back. And I watched him manage the game with maturity, but unfortunately the team couldn’t stop the moments they used to score the goals.”
While new to the Albion senior set-up, Griffiths boasts huge Football League experience for his age after successful loan spells in League Two with Cheltenham and League One with Lincoln and Pompey.
The Herefordshire-born shot-stopper has been at the academy since aged 10 and has long been well thought of by youth coaches.
Meanwhile, Baggies midfielder Jayson Molumby has made a big impression at both ends as a sub having missed out on a starting spot against Blackburn and Watford.
The energetic Irishman has been involved in much of Albion’s good going forward with a goal against Rovers and assist at Watford – but was involved in goals against his side on both occasions.
“It’s a pity, exactly, because it’s true he’s been involved with the best of the team in the last two games,” Corberan said.
“But at the same time, unfortunately, he has been involved in the moments we were conceding goals.
“It’s something to learn, to manage the energy well, to manage different moments of the game.
“But I think he’s a player in the last two games, when he has arrived he has helped the team to compete more.”
