West Bromwich Albion Football Club

• Nickname:The Baggies
• Founded:1878
• Manager:Steve Clarke

• Ground:The Hawthorns
• Capacity:25400

Hero Hartson earns praise

04 Dec 2006 - 10:54:08

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West Brom boss Tony Mowbray hailed match-winner John Hartson after his late strike helped Albion beat Derby County 1-0.

The 31-year-old Wales international, who has not started a Championship game since September, came off the substitutes bench to grab the vital goal and revive the Baggies' stuttering play-off hopes.

A relieved Mowbray said: "John had been telling me all week that he could score a goal and he kept his word.

"He's been doing a lot of work in the last three weeks to get fit after his ankle injury and to get the fire back in his belly.

"I like John as a man, he's very intelligent and he made the kind of impact off the bench that I'd been looking for someone to make.

"We needed a win and I was delighted with the determination on show from all of the players. We had enough chances to have been two or three up by half-time.

"When you don't take those chances you always get a feeling in your stomach that Derby could come up with a goal."