Reading 1, Albion 1
Even in a team, more or less, of equals like Albion's some players are more influential than others.
Their importance is exposed most when they are absent and the side is not the same without them.
Chris Huughton must be tempted to wrap Beram Kayal and Dale Stephens in cotton wool for the rest of the season.
The consistent availability of the central midfield pairing is going to be pivotal to Albion's chances of promotion.
There is bound to be a gap of some dimension between a first choice and second, or even third, for any position. That is what differentiates them.
The build-up to the game at Reading was dominated by the ruptured thigh tendon sustained by Gaetan Bong against Preston, which has ruled him out until January.
Of course, it has repercussions when you lose a player who has been as sound as Bong.
Albion need to sign a temporary left-back as cover to not be exposed in the period between the loan window closing on November 25 and the January window opening.
They were, nevertheless, able to cope without too much difficulty against one of the highest quality attacks in the Championship due to the dexterity of Liam Rosenior, who switched from right-midfield to a role he occupied many times in the Premier league for Hull.
Almost everywhere else on the pitch it is a similar scenario. Remove the first choice and the discomfort is reduced by a deputy almost on a par.
The glaring exception is in the centre of the park. Competition is fierce in terms of quantity but Kayal and Stephens stand head and shoulders above the crowd.
That was emphasised when Kayal was banned and Stephens injured for the 0-0 home draw against Preston.
Take nothing away from Andrew Crofts and Rohan Ince but Albion were nowhere near the same without them.
The mixture of drive, composure and poise in possession provided by Kayal and Stephens was back in evidence at Reading.
This rubs off on the rest. They are a reassuring presence for their team-mates, they set the tone.
Both have endured injury problems. Stephens, the subject of a rejected £2.5 million offer from Derby during the summer transfer window, was out for ten months.
Kayal has been thankfully free of the variety of ailments which afflicted him at Celtic but Hughton must hold his breath every time he is away with Israel.
Nobody has suffered greater injury trauma than Crofts. He was a dependable accomplice to Kayal and Stephens at Reading as Albion demonstrated the adaptability required to thrive in the league of fine margins that is the Championship.
It is no use being a one-trick pony. Albion, although top and unbeaten, are not sufficiently superior to their rivals to take a 'let them worry about us approach'.
So, having spent the season so far reverting to the 4-4-2 formation he favours and Albion fans were crying out for, Hughton switched on this occasion to 4-3-3.
His horses for courses strategy paid off. "We just felt with the way they play we needed to try to get a bit more control on the ball in central midfield," Hughton explained.
"It worked very well first half. And with what they have up front we needed to protect the back four a little bit. For good periods of the game we were very much in it and really restricted them to minimal chances but, of course, the longer the game goes the harder it gets."
It was a landmark appearance for Crofts, his first away start since suffering serious knee ligament damage for a second time at Watford over a year ago.
"Crofty has done great for us, when you consider the time he has been out," Hughton said. "He was still going strong at the end. We'll have to assess.
"We've got a big game now at Sheffield Wednesday, who are in very good form, and we'll certainly have to play well to get a result."
Whether Crofts remains in the starting line-up or not, Albion head for Hillsborough tomorrow night still in good shape.
They would have been in even better shape but for a rare blemish this season by David Stockdale. The keeper gifted Reading their equaliser 12 minutes from time, spilling a shot from the always dangerous Nick Blackman for Matej Vydra to pounce voraciously on the rebound.
Stockdale looked devastated at the final whistle but he should not be too hard on himself. He had earlier denied Blackman and Oliver Norwood and he has already saved at least as many, if not more, than two points. The recent home scare against Bristol City springs readily to mind.
Vydra's first goal for Reading on loan from Watford erased a breakthrough of beauty, a move of one-touches initiated by Bruno, continued by an exchange of passes between Tomer Hemed and Sam Baldock and finished off by Jamie Murphy from the former's laid-on-a-plate cross.
It was good to see Hemed adapting manfully to Hughton's revised tactics. Kayal's compatriot has been a bit off-colour of late but his overall contribution was considerable before eventually giving way to Bobby Zamora.
"I thought he was good," Hughton said. "When you are playing in that role, up top on your own, then you are going to tire towards the end, but his overall hold-up play, the goal and his brightness bright around the box were good to see.
"We said to him before the game it would be a hard-working day in the shape we were playing and it would be tough to play 90 minutes. I'm really pleased for him. It's a shame he didn't get a goal because his endeavours probably deserved it."
Hemed could have ended a four-game mini-drought, his longest so far, with a header just wide at the far post from Rosenior's corner soon after Murphy's second goal for the club.
In that period Reading were rocking. The unconvincing Michael Hector almost scored an own goal with a misplaced backpass but Albion could not find the comfort of an extra cushion.
They ended the match weathering pressure competently. The back four, still without skipper Gordon Greer as well as Bong and Bruno in the closing stages due to cramp, stood up well.
The only time Albion were exposed was from a second-half counter-attack from their own free-kick. They were hopelessly outnumbered but Vydra made a mess of the opportunity.
They came through their toughest test yet not quite with flying colours but with the flag still at the top of the pole. Kayal and Stephens will be crucial to it staying that way in Yorkshire tomorrow night and for the 30 or so matches to follow.
Original article
Even in a team, more or less, of equals like Albion's some players are more influential than others.
Their importance is exposed most when they are absent and the side is not the same without them.
Chris Huughton must be tempted to wrap Beram Kayal and Dale Stephens in cotton wool for the rest of the season.
The consistent availability of the central midfield pairing is going to be pivotal to Albion's chances of promotion.
There is bound to be a gap of some dimension between a first choice and second, or even third, for any position. That is what differentiates them.
The build-up to the game at Reading was dominated by the ruptured thigh tendon sustained by Gaetan Bong against Preston, which has ruled him out until January.
Of course, it has repercussions when you lose a player who has been as sound as Bong.
Albion need to sign a temporary left-back as cover to not be exposed in the period between the loan window closing on November 25 and the January window opening.
They were, nevertheless, able to cope without too much difficulty against one of the highest quality attacks in the Championship due to the dexterity of Liam Rosenior, who switched from right-midfield to a role he occupied many times in the Premier league for Hull.
Almost everywhere else on the pitch it is a similar scenario. Remove the first choice and the discomfort is reduced by a deputy almost on a par.
The glaring exception is in the centre of the park. Competition is fierce in terms of quantity but Kayal and Stephens stand head and shoulders above the crowd.
That was emphasised when Kayal was banned and Stephens injured for the 0-0 home draw against Preston.
Take nothing away from Andrew Crofts and Rohan Ince but Albion were nowhere near the same without them.
The mixture of drive, composure and poise in possession provided by Kayal and Stephens was back in evidence at Reading.
This rubs off on the rest. They are a reassuring presence for their team-mates, they set the tone.
Both have endured injury problems. Stephens, the subject of a rejected £2.5 million offer from Derby during the summer transfer window, was out for ten months.
Kayal has been thankfully free of the variety of ailments which afflicted him at Celtic but Hughton must hold his breath every time he is away with Israel.
Nobody has suffered greater injury trauma than Crofts. He was a dependable accomplice to Kayal and Stephens at Reading as Albion demonstrated the adaptability required to thrive in the league of fine margins that is the Championship.
It is no use being a one-trick pony. Albion, although top and unbeaten, are not sufficiently superior to their rivals to take a 'let them worry about us approach'.
So, having spent the season so far reverting to the 4-4-2 formation he favours and Albion fans were crying out for, Hughton switched on this occasion to 4-3-3.
His horses for courses strategy paid off. "We just felt with the way they play we needed to try to get a bit more control on the ball in central midfield," Hughton explained.
"It worked very well first half. And with what they have up front we needed to protect the back four a little bit. For good periods of the game we were very much in it and really restricted them to minimal chances but, of course, the longer the game goes the harder it gets."
It was a landmark appearance for Crofts, his first away start since suffering serious knee ligament damage for a second time at Watford over a year ago.
"Crofty has done great for us, when you consider the time he has been out," Hughton said. "He was still going strong at the end. We'll have to assess.
"We've got a big game now at Sheffield Wednesday, who are in very good form, and we'll certainly have to play well to get a result."
Whether Crofts remains in the starting line-up or not, Albion head for Hillsborough tomorrow night still in good shape.
They would have been in even better shape but for a rare blemish this season by David Stockdale. The keeper gifted Reading their equaliser 12 minutes from time, spilling a shot from the always dangerous Nick Blackman for Matej Vydra to pounce voraciously on the rebound.
Stockdale looked devastated at the final whistle but he should not be too hard on himself. He had earlier denied Blackman and Oliver Norwood and he has already saved at least as many, if not more, than two points. The recent home scare against Bristol City springs readily to mind.
Vydra's first goal for Reading on loan from Watford erased a breakthrough of beauty, a move of one-touches initiated by Bruno, continued by an exchange of passes between Tomer Hemed and Sam Baldock and finished off by Jamie Murphy from the former's laid-on-a-plate cross.
It was good to see Hemed adapting manfully to Hughton's revised tactics. Kayal's compatriot has been a bit off-colour of late but his overall contribution was considerable before eventually giving way to Bobby Zamora.
"I thought he was good," Hughton said. "When you are playing in that role, up top on your own, then you are going to tire towards the end, but his overall hold-up play, the goal and his brightness bright around the box were good to see.
"We said to him before the game it would be a hard-working day in the shape we were playing and it would be tough to play 90 minutes. I'm really pleased for him. It's a shame he didn't get a goal because his endeavours probably deserved it."
Hemed could have ended a four-game mini-drought, his longest so far, with a header just wide at the far post from Rosenior's corner soon after Murphy's second goal for the club.
In that period Reading were rocking. The unconvincing Michael Hector almost scored an own goal with a misplaced backpass but Albion could not find the comfort of an extra cushion.
They ended the match weathering pressure competently. The back four, still without skipper Gordon Greer as well as Bong and Bruno in the closing stages due to cramp, stood up well.
The only time Albion were exposed was from a second-half counter-attack from their own free-kick. They were hopelessly outnumbered but Vydra made a mess of the opportunity.
They came through their toughest test yet not quite with flying colours but with the flag still at the top of the pole. Kayal and Stephens will be crucial to it staying that way in Yorkshire tomorrow night and for the 30 or so matches to follow.
Original article