West Brom 2 Cardiff 0 - Report
Mikey Johnston marked his full Albion debut with a goal inside 30 seconds to help his side to a 2-0 win over Cardiff.
Substitute and fellow January recruit Andi Weimann wrapped up the low-key victory 10 minutes from time against the underwhelming Bluebirds on an evening not likely to live long in the memory but important in the play-off race nonetheless.
It wasn't pretty but first starts hardly get any better than Johnston's, whose low finish from Tom Fellows' cross was timed at 29 seconds as the mid-table visitors failed to settle and Albion's winter window signings came up trumps again.
Cardiff barely threatened, with little goalmouth efforts at either end but after Kion Etete had gone close for Cardiff, Weimann eased nerves with his late finish. Corberan's men have now won five league games in a row.
It was the perfect way for Carlos Corberan's men to respond to the weekend's disappointment of losing Daryl Dike to injury for the season and Kyle Bartley to a calf knock. Players warmed up in Dike's shirt and a 12th-minute tribute from supporters in The Hawthorns was emotional.
It was also an ideal result given high-flying Southampton visit the Black Country on Friday night - albeit the Saints' 25-game club-record unbeaten run dating back to September ended in defeat at Bristol City tonight.
Corberan experimented somewhat with his starting XI as veteran defender Erik Pieters received the call from the bench to come in for injury absentee Bartley.
It was Pieters' first start in the Championship since the 2-0 success at Coventry. His place in the back four kept Okay Yokuslu in midfield.
The head coach also handed his captain a rare breather as Jed Wallace dropped to the bench following his exploits at Ipswich, where the visitors ran themselves into the ground.
He was replaced by Celtic loanee Johnston for the winger's full Albion debut. Conor Townsend captained Albion on his 200th appearance.
Joining Wallace on Albion's bench were fellow attackers Weimann and Callum Marshall. There was also a surprise place for utility man Adam Reach, well ahead of schedule on his way back from an ankle problem.
Returning African Cup of Nations duo Semi Ajayi and Grady Diangana were uninvolved after making their back from the continental competition over the weekend and in the beginning of the week.
If the hosts carried any tiredness from Saturday they didn't show it, with the fastest goal the club have scored for some time.
Visiting goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, a US international, made his Cardiff debut and walked out with compatriot Dike's shirt on his back. Within half-a-minute of his Bluebirds bow he was picking the ball out of his net.
Darnell Furlong measured a fine ball down the right for Fellows who immediately worried left-back Jamilu Collins. Fellows stood up his full-back before spinning him to the byline, from where a fine low cut-back picked out Johnston.
There were no early nerves for the Irishman, who converted a cool first-time finish from six yards out on exactly 30 seconds. It was a dream start.
Cardiff had lost four from five and it wasn't the kind of start Erol Bulut's side desired but they did try to rally with Josh Wilson-Esbrand's weak strike before Alex Palmer was forced into close quarters action after an uncleared free-kick.
Cedric Kipre sent a difficult header over the top after a cross took a flick off a burgundy Bluebird shirt before Alex Mowatt curled over from range after Yokuslu's pass.
Cardiff barely threatened with Corberan's men in full control. The only time Bulut's men troubled the Baggies' box was after a rare slip in possession.
The second half followed as a non-event. Chances were at a total premium until both bosses looked at changes around the hour, in Corberan's case at the mid-point of the half to introduce Wallace, Weimann and Reach. Furlong meanwhile collected a noteworthy booking, his ninth of the season, and is now on the verge of a two-match ban.
Home fans saw their side show little effort at charging forward in search of a killer second and had to wait until a Wallace free-kick from range to even register an effort at goal.
Meanwhile, down the other end, without looking remotely dangerous the visitors grew in optimism. Bulut's subs were positive, most of all Aaron Ramsey. The Welsh international, working back from an injury at his boyhood club, picked up troubling pockets of space.
He nodded across goal before another deep cross picked out the midfielder and his nod down found fellow sub Kion Etete, who helped wastefully over. It was a let-off.
Corberan's men heeded the warning and - like against Blues at home last time out - the substitutes combined to make the difference.
The hosts won the ball in midfield and Nathaniel Chalobah, from the bench, found a terrific ball down the right for fellow sub Wallace.
The skipper sent in a delicious low cross to out-fox Horvath in goal and leave Weimann a relatively simple finish into an unguarded net, one he controlled well to confirm the hosts' victory.
Albion (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Furlong, Kipre, Pieters, Townsend (c); Yokuslu, Mowatt (Marshall, 90+1); Fellows (Wallace, 67), Swift (Chalobah, 70), Johnston (Reach, 67); Thomas-Asante (Weimann, 67).
Subs not used: Griffiths, Pipa, Hall, Malcolm.
Cardiff (3-5-2): Horvath; Phillips, Goutas, Collins; Ng, Wintle (c), Turnbull (Siopis, 58), Colwill (Bowler, 76), Wilson-Esbrand; Meite (Etete, 58), Diedhiou (Ramsey, 63).
Subs not used: Turner, Romeo, Ralls, Sawyers, Tanner.
Attendance: 23,541 (1,629 Cardiff fans)
Referee: Rebecca Welch
