‘These things define seasons’ - pundit lauds West Brom changes, ‘brilliant’ Birmingham City striker praised

Carlos Corbrean’s ‘full use’ of his West Brom squad could be ‘season defining’ according to a former EFL Championship winner with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Baggies made it five wins in a row and five out of six under Carlos Corbrean with a 3-0 victory over Rotherham United at home on Saturday. Jed Wallace had given them an early lead before substitutes Grady Diangana and Brandon Thomas-Asante secured the three points.

Speaking on ITV’s Football League Show, former Wolves star Matt Jarvis says that Corbrean’s ability to change games by introducing substitutes has been a key factor in their form and has also praised Daryl Dyke’s performances for the Baggies. He said: They were crying out for a centre forward and Dyke has come in and is playing well.

“He’s the focal point for them but you look at the substitutions and it’s so important especially in this league. Rogic was on the bench last week and came on and scored then this week he starts and has two assists. Diangana came on and scored, Asante came on and scored and these are the things that define seasons when you have players who can come on and make an impact.”

Jarvis was joined in the studio by former Millwall and Luton Town striker Sam Parkin who singled West Brom’s defence out for praise. He said: “Equally as impressive is just one goal conceded in the last four games and I always felt that’s what Carlos Corbrean was about, especially at Huddersfield, structure in the side.

“He probably didn’t have the luxurises in attack that he has now this season. A lot of noise coming out of West Brom supporters has been about the lack of a striker but now the players around him are playing in their more natural positions Dyke can be the focal point. They’re looking incredibly strong and the score could have been anything.”

Meanwhile, Birmingham City were in Friday night action and also took a 3-0 lead over Reading but two late goals took the shine off an otherwise impressive performance. The night belonged to Troy Deeney who scored a brace on what was his 600th career appearance in senior football.

Praising the veteran striker, Parkin said: “He was brilliant in the first half, heavily involved in absolutely everything.”