Source: FOOTYMAD
Di Matteo praises troops
Battling spirit pleases boss Roberto Di Matteo hailed his players’ battling qualities after their hard-earned victory against Midlands neighbours Coventry. Steven Reid’s first goal for the club in the 22nd minute gave the Baggies a half time advantage. However after the break the visitors pushed for an equaliser putting the Baggies under pressure for long spells. But a solid rear-guard action from Di Matteo’s men ensured a fifth straight victory and a third clean sheet in five games. “Tonight was a bit of a scrappy game but we managed to score a goal and then we battled. "We defended that goal for dear life. "We couldn't quite keep possession in the second half because our legs were a bit weary. "Coventry had nothing to lose and they threw everything at us. "They made it very difficult in the second half, like they did against Leicester on Sunday. "It's always difficult to defend against long balls into the box because they can go anywhere. "Maybe we could have done a little bit better in the second half to keep the ball and, when we broke, we could have broken better and tried to score that second goal. "But credit to Coventry - and it's not a surprise to me - because I saw them against Leicester and they did exactly the same." One sour point for second placed Albion was the ankle injury picked up by Chris Brunt. The Northern Ireland international limped off in the 61st minute and will be assessed by medical staff this morning. With Thursday’s loan window closing at 5pm, Di Matteo will wait to find out the severity of the wingers injury before deciding on bringing in a temporary replacement. "Brunty came off and has a problem with his ankle," the Italian continued. "We'll see how he is tomorrow and also see who else is coming back. "I might have one more player back for Saturday. "We'll assess it when we're all in on Thursday and see what the situation is like."
