Megson joy at getting 'fighting chance'

Joyous West Brom boss Gary Megson claimed today’s 2-1 win over Manchester City has given his side “a fighting chance” of avoiding the drop.

A first-half Neil Clement header and Darren Moore’s close-range effort 19 minutes from time ended the Baggies’ eight-match winless run and helped them to clamber off the foot of the Premier League.

The hard-fought victory was sealed by only 10 men after Jason Roberts was sent off for elbowing David Sommeil in the final stages, the striker departing to leave his team-mates to weather a late City siege before emerging with three precious points and ensure Robbie Fowler’s debut ended in defeat.

“We needed a result like this to give everyone at the club a bit more belief,” said Megson. “We have a fighting chance now.

“We are in a difficult position to say the least but people to know that it is possible to escape, that it isn’t inevitable that we go down.

“The players are capable of getting out of this mess, providing we keep battling.”

Megson revealed that Moore had to overcome a painful hamstring injury before completing his match-winning heroics, bundling the ball home from close range after Clement had flicked on a Jason Koumas corner.

Phil Gilchrist needed an agonising foot injection during the interval and also battled through the pain barrier, even though he had nodded into his own net to level Clement’s opening effort.

“I was told Jason got a shove from Sommeil then started to throw his arms about,” said Megson.

“I spoke to the officials but they said there was no choice other than to send him off. I didn’t have a good view but if Jason had really meant to hurt the lad he would have made a more aggressive effort than he did.”

With West Ham winning on Wednesday and Bolton emerging victorious today, the need for the Baggies to start grabbing points can hardly be underestimated.

Tipped for the drop from the start of the campaign, Megson’s men are almost immune to relegation talk now, although next week’s clash with Bolton at The Hawthorns will prove crucial.

“We have been told all season that we are going down,” he said.

“While it is hard to deal with, it also gives you something to rally against.

“People are always writing us off but now we have a platform to try and get out of trouble.”

The result was not exactly what City boss Kevin Keegan had anticipated as he unveiled the £20million strike force he hopes will fire his team into the top six.

While Nicolas Anelka looked a genuine threat, Fowler was clearly some way short of full fitness and could not carve out a clear-cut chance as the home side bombed the chance to push themselves into the first half-dozen with neither Southampton nor Tottenham able to record victories.

“Once again, just when we have the chance to build our castle up, we have allowed someone to knock it down,” said Keegan.

“Perfect weeks are very seldom in football and this is not the end we would have wanted.

“Robbie has signed for three-and-a-half years, not for 90 minutes today. He needs games but he is not going to get fit by sitting on the bench.”

Keegan was particularly disappointed with his side’s failure to cope with West Brom’s set-piece play.

Carlo Nash had already made one good save when Clement rose unchallenged to meet a Koumas corner but the same combination proved too good after 18 minutes as the full-back sent a header bouncing high into the goal.

Marc-Vivien Foe did enough to pressurise Gilchrist into guiding Kevin Horlock’s cross into his own net shortly afterwards, only for City to have their defensive frailties exposed again when Clement flicked on for Moore to grab the winner.

“We need to look at our defending at set-pieces again,” admitted the City boss.

“We are all right until somebody comes into the box we don’t expect to be there. It is not the end of the world but it is a disappointing end to a good week.”