West Bromwich Albion needed a slice of luck to get over the line in the end against Rotherham United, a fortuitous penalty gifting John Swift the opportunity to make it 2-0 just before the half-time whistle which was tucked away confidently.
That killed the Championship contest really, with the already relegated Millers attempting to find a way back into the game but the Baggies ended up securing the 2-0 win without much bother.
Swift was a star performer for Carlos Corberan's men away from his spot-kick finding the back of Viktor Johansson's net, the ex-Reading attacking midfielder allowing West Brom to tick going forward in the absence of Alex Mowatt creating from deep.
John Swift's performance vs Rotherham in numbers
Making a number of changes from the side that stumbled to a 2-2 draw away at Stoke City last time out in Championship action, Corberan's decision to bring Swift back into the first-team fold looked an inspired one based on his display against Leam Richardson's men.
Alongside his strike clinching the three points, the former Chelsea youth player turned seasoned Baggies man notched up two key passes in the contest in a bid to make the win even more convincing in his promotion-chasing side's favour.
Moreover, Swift would register three accurate crosses and five accurate long balls when constantly trying to create openings for West Brom to further exploit the frail nature of the lowly visitors.
The 28-year-old would last the full 90 minutes on his return to the XI, a satisfactory reintroduction into the lineup for Swift who should now start West Brom's next second-tier match versus Sunderland this Saturday.
It wasn't just Swift who was brought back into the side for this clash with the Millers and passed their assessment, with Adam Reach coming in surprisingly for Conor Townsend at left-back and succeeding with flying colours.
Adam Reach's performance vs Rotherham in numbers
The former Sheffield Wednesday man's versatility could prove to be very useful for the playoff hopefuls between now and the end of the regular season, with Reach capable of playing in midfield alongside in defence.
Chosen to replace Townsend in this one, Reach – who has had a stop-start Baggies career since joining in 2021 – put in an admirable shift to help his side keep a clean sheet on top of clinching the 2-0 victory.
Minutes played
90
Clearances
3
Tackles
4
Duels won
10/11
Accurate passes
51/60
Assists
1
Reach demonstrated his varied game by battling bravely at the back with four tackles registered alongside winning ten duels, but also showed his knack of foraying forward with confidence by assisting Brandon Thomas-Asante's opening goal on the night.
Amassing 86 touches playing out from the back four too, Reach was crucial to how West Brom played moving forward in the contest away from just teeing up Thomas-Asante to bag and filled in for Townsend excellently with the usually preferred left-back given a breather against the division's basement club.
Corberan wouldn't think twice about starting Reach or Swift for the test of the Black Cats this coming Saturday now, the Spanish boss thrilled with his rotated side's performance against Rotherham.
West Brom were rinsed by record flop who earned double Wallace’s wages
West Bromwich Albion were made to regret signing this terrible flop.
ByKelan SarsonApr 4, 2024