Club News

Lescott full of praise for Dawson

England international discusses defensive partnership

JOLEON Lescott has heaped praise on his centre-half companion Craig Dawson, who today penned a new and improved three-year contract with Albion.

Dawson capped another impressive display against Burnley on Sunday with a first-half header which gave the Baggies the lead at The Hawthorns, as Alan Irvine’s men went on to cruise to a 4-0 victory.

The defensive pairing of Lescott and Dawson helped Albion record their first back-to-back clean sheets since April 2012, and Lescott had plenty of kind words for his central defensive partner after the match.

“Craig has been here for a long time now,” Lescott said.

“I know he's only 24 but he plays with a lot of experience.

“He is a top professional and he always wants to learn. If I can help him in any way then that’s great.

“He has a lot of experience of playing even though he is still quite young.

“He has still got a lot to learn but one of his main attributes is that he wants to learn. When you’ve got that it is hard not to do well.

“Hopefully he goes on to be the player everyone expects him to be."

The 32-year-old two-time Barclays Premier League winner also shed light on their blossoming defensive partnership, and revealed how important it is for centre-backs to understand each other on the pitch.

“It is nice to be close to the person you play alongside,” quoted Lescott.

“As a centre-half pairing you need to have a partnership and understand each other.

“We aren’t like strikers where you play together but rely on individual brilliance.

“It’s still early for me and Craig, but we are starting to trust each other a bit more which definitely helps.

“We are getting there.”