By Tony Pollard
November 13 2006

West Bromwich Albion Failed to Beat Norwich, As Earnie Returns To the Hawthorns and walks away with 3pts. After hitting the woodwork 6 times. Robert Earnshaw returned to the Hawthorns yesterday, and bagged all three points with a 57th minute strike. That was his 11th of the season since his move to Norwich in January for just over 3 million.

Norwich Manager Peter Grant said: "If you give the wee man service he will always score goals. Everyone knows that.

"I was delighted for him. He could have had a few more with with his great movement and we have to make more of that.

"We played very well as a team. We could have won more convincingly.

"We did ride our luck a bit but it would be unfair to say that is why we won. On general play I think we were the better side and deserved the three points.

"The crowd were quiet at the start and that was because we took the game to West Brom.

"With a bit more care in the final pass we could have scored more goals. We looked a lot of more organised and the players knew what they had to do.

"There were great leaders out there. We made it difficult for West Brom to get started and the chances they had were from mistakes by us."

And all this happened as Albion Failed to put there chances away Albion hit the woodwork six times - twice through Jason Koumas and Steve Watson, Kevin Phillips, Curtis Davies and Jonathan Greening. Albion manager Tony Mowbray who has now picked up only 1 point from four games since the win over Wolves said,

"It just seems to be the way things are going at the moment but I couldn't knock them for their desire and endeavour.

"They are desperate to do well. But the ball is not going in the net at the moment. "The players are obviously not too happy, the dressing room is quiet and they are frustrated.

"But they are determined and we need to keep going. When the going gets tough you have to come together and I sense that mood in the dressing room.

"We are all in this for the long run to take the club back into the Premier League.

"I am confident in my ability to get this club on the right track.

"If we had not been creating chances we would have been questioning things but that is not the case. "I am still very, very confident that we will finish at the right end of the table.

"We are still looking at the top two and we will keep pushing on."
I know we were missing a fair few from yesterday,ie Robinson (last game of suspension), Hartson (achilles), Quashie (ankle) Chaplow (back) and Gera (calf) and long term players such as Clemo (knee) Thomas (groin)But we did have enough in the squad to have put this game to rest surely.

West Brom: Hoult, McShane (Hodgkiss 83), Perry, Curtis Davies, Albrechtsen, Watson (Ellington 63), Koumas, Carter, Greening, Phillips, Kamara.
Subs Not Used: Steele, Nicholson, Wallwork.

Booked: Greening.

Norwich: Gallacher, Colin, Shackell, Dublin, Drury, Robinson, Etuhu, Safri, Hughes (McVeigh 86), Earnshaw (Thorne 90), Huckerby.Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Eagle, Spillane.

Booked: Colin, Safri.

Goals: Earnshaw 57.

Att: 18,718.

The Table..... P GD PTS
1 Cardiff.........17 15 36
2 Preston........ 17 13 33
3 Birmingham..... 17 8. 33
4 Burnley.........17 11 31
5 Derby.......... 17 3. 28
6 West Brom...... 17 9. 26
7 Plymouth....... 17 5. 26
8 Wolverhampton.. 17 -5 26
9 Norwich........ 17 -4 25
10 Stoke......... 17 8. 24
11 Colchester.... 17 3. 24
12 Southampton... 17 3. 24
13 Sheff Wed..... 17 -2 23
14 Leicester..... 17 -1 22
15 Coventry...... 17 -1 22
16 Luton......... 17 -6 22
17 Ipswich....... 17 0. 21
18 QPR........... 17 -1 21
19 Sunderland.... 17 -3 20
20 Crystal Palace 17 -6 18
21 Hull.......... 17 -7 16
22 Leeds......... 17 -14 16
23 Barnsley...... 17 -12 15
24 Southend...... 17 -16 11

Albions next game is, Saturday the 18th of November at home to Burnley.