James Morrison believes Tuesday’s topsy-turvy tie with Southampton was a “great advert for the Championship.”
Albion took the lead from the penalty spot against a strong second-tier opponent when Isaac Price nestled home from 12 yards, before Samuel Edozie levelled things up just inside the second half.
The hosts were much the better side in the first period and could’ve been more than one ahead, and admittedly could’ve also taken the lead late on after the Saints found the equaliser.
Morrison wanted to see his side go in at the break with a greater advantage, but was also quick to admit their first-half “energy was always hard to replicate.”
The boss said: “It was two excellent teams and a great advert for the Championship. It was played in the right manner, and I thought we were great in the first half.
“I wanted to see whether we could compete with that intensity in the second half with the amount of energy we put in. I thought we could’ve got another and been comfortable going in at half-time, but credit to Southampton, they came after us.
“We couldn’t get the passing going and couldn’t get them off our backs in those first part of the second period, really. We had chances at the end, we kept on going again, and the lads can be happy with that performance.
“We did the basics very well in the first half, it was about how aggressive we were. Our running and energy were also brilliant - that gave us the chance to play our football. We were aggressive, and we were taking the belief out of Southampton at that point, being in the form they’re in.
“When we look back on it, the disappointment was that we couldn’t be more ruthless in the box when we were so dominant in that first period. They had a reaction to us being so dominant and it was always going to change. It was important we started the half how we started the game - but the energy was always hard to replicate.
“It was always going to be a test with the opposition. They’re probably within the top three teams in this division, and we’ve certainly given ourselves credit by imposing ourselves, and that’s what I’ve asked us to do. It shows how far we’ve come, but we’ve got to go again on Saturday.”
