And midfielder praises boss as he revels in how far Baggies have come
JAMES Morrison insisted Albion’s Hawthorns spirit gave them the strength to beat an in-form Swansea side that had previously this season not lost after taking the lead in a game.
The Baggies fell behind to Luke Moore’s 33rd-minute header but Romelu Lukaku levelled before the break and Gareth McAuley’s header led to the hosts sealing all three points 2-1.
And Morrison says he never doubted he would finish on the winning side even after Lukaku’s missed penalty at 1-1.
“We were going through a tricky spell,” he said.
“We wanted to get our season back on track and we've done that with two good wins at home.
“The lads put a fantastic effort in against an amazing football side - it was hard work out there.
“We were on top when the penalty came and playing really well.
“We gave Swansea a bit of their own medicine really, passing the ball, creating chances.
“We still believed in our ability.”
The result leaves Albion eighth in the table on 43 points after the weekend, with nine games remaining.
And Morrison added: “We are not used to this position are we?
“It just shows what a fantastic season the lads have had.
“We beat a team like Swansea, who've had a lot of credit this year, and so should we.
“It does feel strange not to be looking over our shoulder at this stage.
“But it just shows what a good season we've had at The Hawthorns.
“We struggled here at home last season and at the start of the season we wanted to put that right.
“We've done that and a lot of hard work has gone into it.
“We are delighted to be where we are.
“We can relax now and go into each game, going out to enjoy it, play some nice football, score some goals, and also defend like we did on Saturday.”
The Scotland international has also praised the work of Steve Clarke in getting 100 per cent out of the players week after week in his first-ever season as a No.1.
And he has urged his team-mates not to take their foot off the gas in the final quarter of the campaign.
“Look where we are; he has done fantastic,” he said.
“Roy [Hodgson] did a fantastic job but Steve came in, made some good signings and also had a good group of players.
“Everyone who steps onto that pitch gives 100 per cent and that has been the key of this season.
“At the start of pre-season he said he wasn't going to change much because it didn't need changing.
“He tinkered a little bit but that was about passing the ball a bit more and getting up the pitch a bit more - it seemed to work.
“I think we've gone under the radar really.
“We keep plugging away and doing our own thing, there has not been too much pressure on us, and we’ve picked up results at key times.
“Hopefully now we can keep it going because we don't want to let the season fizzle out.”