http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/?page_id=9088Saints v West BromSaints 3 West Brom 2
George Burley made three changes from the side beaten 5-1 at Preston. The one enforced switch came after Grzegorz Rasiak failed a fitness test on a knee injury and he was replaced by Stern John.
Andrew Surman and Alex Ostlund dropped to the bench making way for Inigo Idiakez and Rudi Skacel who had recovered from a hamstring injury.
Kevin Phillips failed to recover from an ankle injury and missed out against his old club as the Baggies named an unchanged side which saw former Saints defender Pele on the bench.
Saints: Davis, Ifil, Thomas, Dailly, Skacel, Viafara, Safri, Idiakez (Surman 82), Dyer, Saganowski (Euell 90), John. Subs: Ostlund, Hammill, Bialkowski.
West Brom: Kiely, Hoefkens, Barnett, Albrechtsen, Robinson, Gera (Beattie 74), Greening, Koren, Brunt (Morrison 74), Teixera (MacDonald 45), Miller. Subs: Daniels, Pele, .
Referee: Pat Miller (Beds) Attendance: 21,967.
The away fans appealed loudly for handball against Skacel as he allowed the ball to run out near the corner flag under pressure from Miller but only a goal-kick was given.
Dyer played a great diagonal ball for the overlapping Skacel whose cross was nodded behind by Barnett at the near post. The left-wing corner by Idiakez went straight into the sidenetting.
Idiakez steadied himself and hit a low 30-yard drive which flew a foot wide of the left post on six minutes.
Koren failed to get a shot away on the edge of the area and then John and Saganowski were both caught offside before Viafara whipped a dangerous ball across the face of goal from the right.
Saints took the lead on 16 minutes when Idiakez chipped forward through the middle and JOHN controlled well 15 yards out, spun and thumped a powerful shot past Kiely for his first Saints goal.Saints stretched their lead on 23 minutes when Dyer played the ball to Saganowski who laid off for SKACEL to hit a cracking 25-yard drive which arrowed just inside the right post.
It was almost three as Saganowski played through for Idiakez whose sidestep worked an opening to the right of goal but the cross-shot was blocked in a crowded goalmouth.
Robinson somehow escaped a booking for bringing down Viafara who had cut past him. From 30 yards Idiakez beat the wall but his powerful shot curled inches wide of the right post on 29 minutes.
Dailly hurled himself in the way of a blast from Teixeira who moments later spun past the Scot to work a shot from the right of goal only for Davis to go full-length to his right to save well.
West Brom pulled one back on 32 minutes when Miller and Dailly challenged for a cross by Brunt and the ball broke for KOREN to ram home from close range.
Skacel's 15-yard shot was a comfortable take for Kiely and then Safri intercepted well ahead of Miller in the box.
Saints went agoinisingly close to a third five minutes before the break when John laid off for Dyer who took aim from 28 yards and curled a superb shot over Kiely but against the bar.
Miller fired over from a good position to the right of goal as two minutes were added.
John out the ball in the net from close range but the flag had already gone up for a foul by Idiakez who had wrestled his way past Robinson to set up the chance.Half-time: Saints 2 West Brom 1
West Brom replaced Teixeira with MacDonald at the start of the second half but almost went further behind as a diagonal free-kick by Ifil was met by the head of Saganowski six yards out. But Kiely made a good save to his right.
The Pole went close again on 48 minutes with a diving header from Viafara's cross but again the keeper made a fine stop, his time to his left.
Saints kept up the pressure and Idiakez got free to the right of goal and beat Kiely only to see the angled shot roll just wide of the far post.
Idiakez had another shot from the right deflected behind by Robinson then Dyer tricked Hoefkens with a series of step-overs down the left before clipping a shot inches wide.
Viafara was bundled off the ball by Robinson as he broke through on goal but the referee ruled there was no foul to the fury of the home crowd who wanted a red card as well.
Davis did well to beat away a Miller blast and Barnett headed the corner over.
Saints had a let-off on 56 minutes when Miller bustled past Dailly and Ifil in the box on a diagonal run from right to left which left him with only Davis to beat. But he blasted high over on the run.
The home side escaped again on the hour when Koren spread the ball wide left to MacDonald who laid off for Robinson and his blast fizzed inches wide of the right post.
But the Albion pressure paid off a minute later when KOREN got past Thomas to reach Miller's header and beat Davis one-on-one from close range for his fourth goal in five games.
Saints though hit back immediately when an Idiakez left-wing corner into a crowded goalmouth fell for JOHN who reacted swiftly to fire in a poacher's goal from close range on 63 minutes.Saganowski headed just over and then Gera fired wide in an open and entertaining game.
Barnett just got to Ifil's chip before Viafara and Kiely who came racing out of his area before Albion sent on Beattie and Morrison for Gera and Brunt on 74 minutes.
Robinson was finally booked for a foul on Idiakez nine minutes from time. the Spaniard needed lengthy treatment before being replaced by Surman.
Dyer wriggled free to the right of goal but his shot flashed acorss the goalmouth and wide of the far post with five minutes remaining.
MacDonald got past Ifil on the byline but his low ball in was cleared for a corner which then glanced off the top of MacDonald's head.
Beattie had a penalty appeal waved away as he went down under Skacel's tackle before five minutes were added for Saints to hang on.
Saints sent on Euell for Saganowski and the two substitutes almost combined for a goal as Surman scamppered down the left and pulled back for Euell whose first-time shot was deflected for a corner.
Dyer almost burst through one-on-one but Robinson got across to deny him and Dyer was then booked for time-wasting.
Full-time: Saints 3 West Brom 2
George Burley reactionhttp://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/?page_id=9091George Burley was left purring with delight as his side won another five-goal thriller.
Saints have played 10 league games so far this season and six have produced five goals or more.
While the entertainment value has been high, the results have been patchy and the manager was thrilled to see his team beat West Brom 3-2.
After roaring into a two-goal lead through Stern John and Rudi Skacel, Saints found themselves pegged back buy two Robert Koren goals.
Just as fans feared another wobble, they came back strongly with an immediate response through John and they then closed out the game for an impressive win.
Burley said: "It was a cracking game and a great advert for the Championship. It was end to end with some great football played.
"For me West Brom are the best attacking side in the division and we had to be at our very best to get three points.
"Tony Mowbray was a player under me and we share the same view on the way the game should be played. He believes in playing football and attacking so it was always going to be that type of game.
"We had some pressure and few good chances at the start of the second half and we might have made the game safe.
"But they are an exceptional side full of quality and it was a worry when they got back to 2-2 but we hung in and got back in front right away which was important.
"We were disappointed with their second goal and felt we should have stopped it but the response was good.
"When results have been a bit up and down, it would have been easy to have lost confidence - especially having played so well and then lost two goals.
"But we managed to get the winner to send the fans home happy after seeing a real good game of football."
Burley made three changes from the side which lost 5-1 at Preston in midweek, one enforced with Grzegorz Rasiak missing out through injury.
Stern John came in got two goals and Burley also recalled Inigo Idiakez and Skacel, both of whom had fine games.
Burley explained: "I know both their full-backs like to get forward so I needed to get some pace on the flanks to push them back.
"I changed it round so I could put Jhon Viafara on the right and he gave us pace there while Nathan Dyer did well on the left.
"It pegged them back and gave us pace in the wide areas while Inigo Idiakez did well in the centre.
"He has been hampered with injury since he has been here but over the last three or four weeks he has looked fit and sharp.
"We all know he has got ability and he showed he can be a very good player for us."
