Albrechtsen cures Baggies’ away Blues

TEN-MAN West Brom ended 10 months of away-day misery as Martin Albrechtsen came from the bench to bag his first goal for the club.

After a run of 14 Premiership games without a win on their travels, stretching back to March 19 when they beat Charlton 4-1 at The Valley, manager Bryan Robson’s side can again head home with a smile on their face.

For Albrechtsen, it was also a moment to savour after coming on just before the break following the dismissal of Darren Moore, with the defender breaking his Baggies duck since a £2.5million move from FC Copenhagen in June 2004, and on his 49th appearance to leave Albion five points clear of the relegation zone.

Yet it was all so different just two minutes before the break when Robson was left fuming on the touchline due to a moment of rash stupidity from Moore as he earned a second caution, and subsequent red from referee Martin Atkinson.

The cheers from the Latics fans as they waved Moore off the pitch then grew in intensity a minute later when Robson was forced into a change to cover for his defender’s indiscretions.

In bringing on Albrechtsen, Robson took off Nathan Ellington, who had been given so few touches of the ball in his 44 minutes on his return to the JJB Stadium after a £3million summer move, the Wigan fans had barely an opportunity to boo their former hero.

Little did those Latics fans know that such a change would prove the turning point.

Despite the man advantage for the second half, Wigan failed to shake off their lethargy, and after a warning had been posted via a Campbell header to a Wallwork cross saved at point-blank range by Pollitt, the visitors duly delivered on 56 minutes.

A Leighton Baines pass to Paul Scharner on the halfway line was a poor one, allowing Ronnie Wallwork to dispossess the Austrian and embark on a scurrying run down the right wing.

An overlapping Albrechtsen then took Wallwork’s pass in his stride before despatching a crisp angled drive beyond Pollitt.

Opta Fact: Wigan have not drawn a Premiership game live on tv this season - W3 D0 L5, and neither have West Brom - W2 D0 L2

Opta Fact: This was only Bryan Robson’s second away clean sheet as manager of West Brom.

WIGAN: Pollitt, Chimbonda, De Zeeuw, Henchoz, Baines (Johansson 80), Bullard, Kavanagh, Scharner, Teale, Roberts, McCulloch.

WEST BROM: Kuszczak, Watson, Curtis Davies, Moore, Robinson, Greening, Wallwork, Inamoto, Carter, Ellington (Albrechtsen 44), Campbell (Earnshaw 79).

Referee: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire).