West Brom 1 Huddersfield 0 - Report

John Swift's penalty on half hour was enough for Carlos Corberan's side to register another home three points, this time over his former employers Huddersfield Town.

The Baggies made it back-to-back league wins for the first time since early January with a second 1-0 home win over the Championship's bottom two in a few days.

Much like Tuesday's narrow victory over Wigan it was a workmanlike display from Corberan's side. It was another that won't make the cut for a DVD special, with clear chances few and far between - but most importantly it was effective and enough to bag another three points and get one over returning panto villain Neil Warnock.

On a day several thousand joined in to march up Birmingham Road in protest against absent controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai, the Baggies further solidified their home fortress and once more backed up quite an astonishing home record.

The win made it 10 wins from 11 at The Hawthorns - with just one draw and a single goal conceded to Blackburn's Ben Brereton Diaz. That run betters an effort of exactly 100 years ago, a run ended by Huddersfield back in 1923.

Swift, with his fifth goal of the season and first in the league since October, made the telling difference with a penalty and it was the lift-off patient Albion desperately needed. Chances to put the contest to bed were at a premium but limited Huddersfield were tame and forced little-to-no threat on Josh Griffiths' goal. The Terriers remain second-bottom, six points adrift of safety.

Albion climbed a place to eighth and, more importantly, are just three points from sixth-placed Millwall after a margin of seven points just a couple of games ago. Wednesday's trip to Cardiff, the final game before the international break, is a real acid test for Corberan's side, who have lost five on the bounce away.

Corberan sprung a surprise with his Baggies line-up against the side he left last July.

In for just a second league start of the campaign was Adam Reach, given the nod over Marc Albrighton.

Reach's only previous Championship start was at Millwall under caretaker boss Richard Beale, where the visitors lost late on, in between Steve Bruce and Corberan's tenures.

The versatile 30-year-old showed his qualities with excellent delivery with his left foot both from open play and set-pieces. He switched from Jed Wallace in spells with the pair effective from either flank.

Options are limited generally for Albion's head coach, but particularly in that department, where it was confirmed this week Grady Diangana's season was over due to surgery taking place on Monday. He joins Matty Phillips on the sidelines until the summer, with Karlan Grant also missing.

It was also a nod to Leicester loanee Albrighton struggling for form since checking in from the King Power Stadium.

He was, though, joined on the bench by the returning Tom Rogic, back from more than a month injured. There was no place for Brandon Thomas-Asante, who Corberan was positive might have returned from his hamstring setback.

Warnock was welcomed back to The Hawthorns after coming out of retirement with some colourful chants from the Smethwick End - which he responded to with a thumbs-up. The 74-year-old had taken a swipe at Corberan 24 hours earlier by suggesting the Spaniard's 'good agent' earned him the Albion job.

The contest vert quickly settled into a familiar pattern that summed up the visitors' intentions, often seen with banks of five and four behind the ball and happy to sit in their own third, asking opposition to break them down.

It was an unimaginative set-up from the limited visitors, whose small following must have known what to expect. The Terriers weren't without their chances, including a massive one for David Kasumu at 1-0, but it was almost one-way traffic with Albion in charge of the ball.

Much like the one-goal victory over fellow strugglers Wigan in midweek, Albion did not create chances by the bucketload and had to be particularly patient here.

Despite almost all of the football the Terriers forced the first real chance as defender Tom Lees headed over from a corner. Josh Griffiths might have got there.

The hosts had to make do with efforts from distance as Erik Pieters and Okay Yokuslu both saw low strikes pass the post by very little.

Corberan's men were forced to be patient and they were. Moving the ball sideways and backwards has been a feature of play and it was required here against a block of numerous pink away shirts.

The patience paid off on half hour - with a perfect example of moving the ball in search of an opening.

After some possession Jayson Molumby switched play left with a fine ball. Wallace was clever and from the flank flicked a smart ball into Conor Townsend in the box.

The left-back was clipped by right-back Matty Pearson for a spot-kick clear as day. Swift stepped up and dispatched his penalty into the bottom left corner as Vaclik dived the other way.

It was relief and lift-off but Corberan's men were unable to add to their precious opener.

The Baggies did go up a gear before the break but Swift's stabbed effort was blocked as Wallace darted to the left byline.

The second period promised to offer more of the same before Huddersfield threatened to spoil the party.

Lone striker Martyn Waghorn, tasked with flogging himself all afternoon, released David Kasumu with a super pass. Kasumu was forced slightly wide by a retreating Dara O'Shea but still should have done better - instead the winger lost his footed and spurned hopelessly wide in front of the away end.

The hosts almost responded immediately but Dike's finish when unmarked and well-placed on the edge of the box from Wallace's low cut-back was poor.

Warnock's men began to throw a touch more caution to the wind and slung up a couple of crosses into Albion's box. They were claimed effectively by Griffiths, but Albion fans remained on edge as the Terriers threatened to bite, but their attacking quality was typified by an ambitious and wayward bicycle from defender Michal Helik.

The hosts were workmanlike once more to get the job done but it wasn't pretty or rip-roaring. It didn't need to be with Huddersfield so poor. Much sterner tests are ahead, first of all to rectify the dire away form and at home too, with play-off rivals to visit forttress Hawthorns.

Key moments:

30 - GOAL Albion! The all-important breakthrough and what proved the only goal as John Swift converts from 12 yards after Conor Townsend was tripped by right-back Matty Pearson. Jayson Molumby with a nice crossfield ball and Jed Wallace helped work the penalty

48 - Huddersfield's big chance came and went through David Kasumu. Played in by a super Martyn Waghorn pass, Kasumu lost his composure and balance and spurned wide in front of the away end.

Albion (4-2-3-1): Griffiths; Furlong, O'Shea (c), Pieters, Townsend; Yokuslu (Chalobah, 75), Molumby; Wallace (Ajayi, 90+7), Swift (Rogic, 87), Reach (Albrighton, 75); Dike.

Subs not used: Button, Gardner-Hickman, Malcolm.

Huddersfield Town (4-2-3-1): Vaclik; Pearson (Edmonds-Green, 63), Helik, Lees, Ruffels; Hogg (c), Rudoni; Koroma, Kasumu (Diarra, 82), Jackson (Hungbo, 90); Waghorn (Rhodes, 82).

Subs not used: Bilokapic, Camara, Simpson.

Attendance: tbc

Referee: Dean Whitestone