West Bromwich Albion bowed out of their disappointing Championship season on a high at The Hawthorns, in an impressive team performance that will give fans new hope for next season.
The Baggies put on a four-goal show in the final game of the season in front of their home fans following a difficult campaign of highs and lows for the club, showing resilience and a taster of what is to be expected when they return to chase promotion back into the Premier League in August under new manager Steve Bruce.
West Brom dominated on all fronts throughout the game with 65% possession, five more shots on target, more big chances created and over twice as many accurate passes than their opponents on Saturday afternoon.
Karlan Grant found the back of the net twice to bag a brace, with Adam Reach and Matthew Clarke in an attacking display that Barnsley just couldn’t cope with and one player, in particular, gave an incredible all-round performance despite not getting on the scoresheet.
Jayson Molumby put on a phenomenal display after securing his future permanently at the club earlier this week in a three-year deal and certainly showed the West Brom faithful exactly what he is capable of offering over the time he has in the future.
The Baggies midfielder had an astonishing 104 touches of the ball against Barnsley, completing 76 passes, winning nine out of his 15 duels, making two interceptions and three tackles, proving that the 22-year-old was intent on making his presence known on the pitch and became a complete nuisance for his opponents.
Bruce spoke out this week about the former Brighton player’s new deal (via BBC Sport);
“We’re really pleased to have Jayson on board permanently.
“He’s managed to force himself into our XI recently and now his challenge is to stay there by continuing to show improvements in his game.”
Following the West Brom manager’s comments, Molumby clearly wanted to show his boss exactly why he deserves to be included in the team going forward and show that he can continue to improve at the club, which will surely put him in good stead to regularly feature next season.
Are you confident about next season?
Despite Bruce securing this masterclass signing, there is still a huge amount of work to do to ensure that West Brom doesn’t suffer another season of disappointment and can challenge throughout to secure Premier League promotion at the end of their next campaign.
AND in other news: West Brom eyeing summer swoop for “brilliant” 19 y/o “cheat code”, Bruce needs him
