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Goal not enough to mask Barnes disappointment

HARVEY Barnes admits he left The Hawthorns feeling bitterly disappointed yesterday evening despite scoring a stunning debut goal in Albion’s 2-1 defeat by Bolton Wanderers.

The on-loan Leicester City winger drove a powerful left-foot strike home from 30 yards to level the scores on a frustrating afternoon for the Baggies.  

Darren Moore’s men dominated possession in front of a sell-out crowd at The Hawthorns but hopes of an opening-day victory were thwarted when the visitors scored a dramatic later winner against the run of play. 

And Barnes says the Baggies will need to learn to break teams down - especially on home turf. 

“It wasn’t the start we were looking for,” said the 20-year-old. 

“It was a tough game for us, especially after going 1-0 down. They managed the game very well and the game probably went the way they wanted it to. 

“I thought as a team we did well in spells but we struggled to break them down when we were 1-0 down. They sat in and were happy to settle for what they had. They then nicked it at the end which, of course, was very disappointing.

“We’ve got to expect that, we’re a big club in this league, so a lot of teams will come here and play the way Bolton did - it’s important we break that down and find ways to get through it. 

He added: “For me it was pleasing to get the goal in my first game, of course, but it was disappointing that as a team we couldn’t capitalise and go ahead when we were drawing. 

“Usually I’ll be cutting in on the other side on to my right foot so that one was probably a bit of a fluke. 

“The great thing about the Championship is that we now have a game in a couple of days so we’ve got to put this one to one side and we’re looking forward to that. The games come quick and fast and there’s lots of of room for improvement but hopefully we can do that on Tuesday.”  

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