Jones and Nabi steer Shan's side to North East success
SAMIR Nabi’s late strike earned Albion their first Barclays Under-18 Premier League victory of the season.
The Baggies arrived on Tyneside determined to bounce back from last week’s 4-0 home defeat by Wolves and got off to the perfect start when Callum Jones opened the scoring after just seven minutes.
James Shan’s side kept their noses in front until deep into the second half.
But Albion weren’t to be denied, with Nabi restoring their lead five minutes from time.
The visitors had to endure a late Toon bombardment to hold onto the win, although the final minutes could have been more comfortable after the unfortunate Nabi hit the bar from a stoppage-time penalty.
Lead professional development coach Shan said: “The boys showed a lot of character and resolve.
“I was really pleased with their work ethic.
“We deserved the win but we had to soak up a lot of pressure after going back in front late on.
“The lads deserve a lot of credit for seeing the game out.
“Hopefully, we can keep improving and build on the win.”