EDDIE Newton was delighted to see Albion eventually take advantage of their dominance to ease into the FA Cup fourth round with a 2-0 win at League One high-fliers Huddersfield.
The Baggies failed to capitalise on a first half they bossed at the Galpharm Stadium.
But they weathered the Terriers' early second-half pressure and secured victory thanks to Graham Dorrans' 79th-minute strike and super-sub Chris Wood's goal three minutes later.
"We were surprised with the respect Huddersfield showed us," said Newton, who was speaking to the media as Roberto Di Matteo was suffering with illness.
"We prepared for a physical encounter in the first 20 minutes.
"We knew the Huddersfield crowd get right behind their boys and we prepared for a high octane first 15 to 20 minutes.
"But it didn't materialise and we looked comfortable.
"We got it down and passed it.
"But we didn't take advantage of it in the first half, or of the chances we had.
"Huddersfield turned it around a bit in the second half, made it 4-5-1 and came at us, which we expected.
"We rode the storm a little bit but we always knew there would be chances to counter attack."
The assistant head coach has fond memories of the FA Cup as he and Di Matteo both scored in Chelsea's 2-0 final victory over Middlesbrough in 1997.
And he insists that, although promotion to the Premier League firmly remains Albion's priority, a cup run is also very much on the agenda.
"Promotion is the main goal but we're not going to take the FA Cup lightly," Newton added.
"As players, we had good success in the cup and we'll treat the competition with the respect it deserves.
"The players want to go as far as possible - and let's see if we can.
"Sometimes, people think if you have a cup run it destroys you but sometimes it can help you with confidence if you keep going down the line.
"The belief factor in the dressing room keeps getting higher and higher and it can help within the league as well.
"It's never a bad thing to win.
"I think the buzz of the FA Cup went away a little bit when the Champions League took over.
"But slowly and steadily people are starting to warm to the FA Cup again.
"The league and Champions League seem to be the be all and end all.
"But it's a cup the English love.
"It's our cup and we all want to make it as big as possible.
"I think everyone stepped away from it, wrongly, because I think Premier League clubs should be able to turn their squads over for cup games as well.
"It's a massive cup which is seen all over the world and we need to make sure it stays prestigious."
Di Matteo's No.2 is also confident the Baggies can make an impact in the competition - whoever they are pitted against in tomorrow's fourth-round draw.
"Whoever we get, we play," he said.
"It's 11 versus 11 and, if we turn up on the day and play the stuff we can play, we're confident about going up against anybody."
