21 mins Dichio header  0-1

28 mins LuaLua shot  1-1

40 mins Dichio shot  1-2

Half time: West Brom 2 Newcastle 1

77 mins Brown shot  1-3

Full time: West Brom 3 Newcastle 1 

Tommy Craig commented to .cock:

"That was a poor performance. It was our worst display of the four games we've had by a million miles and I cannot take any positives from the game. None whatsoever.

"We lacked cohesion, our passing game was poor and even though we briefly looked like getting things right for a spell in the first half I can't have any complaints over the course of the 90 minutes.

"It was a good surface and wet on top which normally suits us, but we just never got going.

"You often get blips with young teams, and and I can't have any complaints about the way they have played in the three games before this one. 

"I just hope this was a blip, because I don't want to see that any more this season and I've certainly got plenty to think about now."

Goalscorer Lomana LuaLua also said:

"It wasn't ideal sitting on a bus for five hours then going straight out to play, but that's not making up excuses."

"At the end of the day it was a frustrating evening for us and we didn't deserve anything from the match because we gave them three silly goals."

Goalscorer Danny Dichio gushed:

"You ask anyone in the squad at the moment and they want to be playing in the first team,

“The boys are doing well, we are top of the league and it’s a good place to be and a good team to be in at the moment. I’m just going to keep knocking on the door and the best way to do that is by scoring goals.

Hughsie is on fire after scoring four goals, Hulse has chipped in with a few and Dobes has scored and has been playing well. The competition is good and it’s good for the likes of me because it means I have got to work that bit harder to get in.

“It’s going to be difficult to get in there and I have just got to score goals and keep myself in the gaffer’s mind. I needed those goals last night to start me off for the season and hopefully that will help kick me on a bit confidence wise.”

“All the lads have been playing well, especially Dobes who is looking really strong, while Hughsie has found his goal touch again. If you ask any centre forward it’s all about confidence and Hughsie was unlucky last season.

“He started fresh this year doing a pre-season with us and got to know all the squad better - he has managed to find that skip in his play again.

“My family are all up here now and the boys like it here. The little one is at school and he is gaining a bit of a Brummie accent now! It’s a lot of pressure off my mind travelling wise - having to do a 30 minute drive instead of the hour-and-a-half I used to do.

"The gaffer has also pulled me to one side and told me what’s going to happen this season and I am sure he has done the same with the other front boys."

Another unmemorable night at the Hawthorns, although at least this year we had a goal or four to punctuate an otherwise miserable, wet night for the visitors.

Tommy Craig was forced to field a very young side, with only Lomana LuaLua and Darren Ambrose having any first team experience. Chris Carr, Peter Ramage and Bradley Orr played as a back three with Stephen Brennan and Phil Cave operating down the flanks. Andy Ferrell made his first start (excluding Gretna) since knee surgery, with Darren Ambrose and Martin Brittain also in midfield. Lewis Guy partnered LuaLua in attack.

Some pre-match drizzle should have quickened up the surface and helped with slick passing movements. In reality as the rain continued, the surface became slippery and greasy and a little treacherous underfoot.

Albion started the better side, Simon Brown hitting a long range effort narrowly wide of Adam Bartlett's goal after eight minutes. However, it was his own defender, Ramage who gave Bartlett his first real test with a strong backpass which zipped off the surface. The keeper shanked his clearance out for throw-in but did well to keep the pacey pass out of his net.

LuaLua seemed to have given us the lead on 13 minutes, converting Cave's cross but the linesman had flagged for offside.

Lee Hughes was starting to look dangerous for the home side and broke clear only to see Bartlett turn his shot wide of the far post. The same player then hit a shot straight at Bartlett from close range as West Brom started to apply some concerted pressure.

The goal finally came in the 21st minute when James Chamber found Hughes in the box. The "Ginger Ninja" as the locals like to call him, turned superbly to create the space in which he lofted a pinpoint far-post cross for Dichio to head into the unguarded net.

The goal stirred our lot into some sort of action and although we had failed to create a clear chance - long range efforts had all sailed way over the bar - we were starting to play in their half. An innocuous cross from the right seemed to be harmless enough but James Chambers and his keeper, Danny Crane, got in a muddle, allowing little LuaLua to nip in and fire past the bemused keeper. The goalscorer got a whack for his troubles and required lengthy treatment but was able to return to the action.

However, the Baggies were able to restore their advantage five minutes before the break when Chambers was again able to play the ball inside Phil Cave to Manchester United discard, Ronnie Wallwork, making a telling run into the box. Wallwork found the unmarked Dichio who was able to steady himself and fire into the largely unguarded goal as the defence scrambled back across in vain.

Four minutes into the second period Orr was harshly booked for being hit on the arm at point-blank range. The ref justified the decision by pointing at several other areas of the pitch, implying it wasn't just for that deliberate handball but persistent blocking behaviour.... Tommy Craig barked his disapproval from the touchline and in broad Pennilee cried out, "Ah ref, yu ra jock."  No, Tommy, you're the Jock.

A minute later Guy tried to take advantage of a weak backpass on the slippery surface and charged down keeper, Crane. The ball rebounded off Guy but wide of the goal, leaving the young striker to tend to the most sensitive part of his anatomy which had seemingly taken the full force of the clearance. Luckily for Guy, the ref deemed it was a case of ball to testicles and kept his card in his pocket.

Alan O'Brien and Lee Norton were brought on to try and add renewed impetus to our failing forward thrusts. It didn't really work and with LuaLua waddling around looking skyward it always seemed more likely that the next goal would make it 3-1 rather than 2-2.

Alassane N'Dour headed a Wallwork cross just wide but a few minutes later West Brom got the clincher. Lee Marshall played a neat ball through to Simon Brown who had timed his run well. Bartlett advanced but Brown was easily able to slip the ball past the keeper into the net with 14 minutes remaining.

There was still time for O'Brien to have one mazy run but when the ball broke back to him his hasty shot went wide when LuaLua was better placed to get a shot in. Our goalscorer then got himself booked for a challenge from behind and with a minute remaining he lofted a free-kick just wide of the goal frame.

All in all, a fair result and a disappointing performance from our lot given our promising start to the season.

Niall MacKenzie

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