Albion’s assistant head coach Nigel Gibbs believes the performance against Portsmouth was a positive one, even if the final result was a “frustrating” one.
Gibbs, who was carrying out media duties as a result of Ryan Mason’s dismissal, watched on as Mikey Johnston’s first-half opener was cancelled out by Colby Bishop’s second-half header.
The Baggies may well have had a penalty going into the closing stages, but the officials deemed a challenge on Aune Heggebø to be a fair one, much to the disappointment of the home team and supporters.
Speaking to WBA TV after the encounter, Gibbs said: “It was a strong performance today, despite the result.
“We got ourselves in front and I thought we were dominating possession.
“We had some good moments in the final third, but couldn’t quite find that moment to give us another goal.
“We felt there was a penalty in the second half which would have given us an advantage if we’d have managed to score from that, but we’re really pleased with the performance and with the effort the lads put in.
“We kept going at the end and we were the team pushing to get the winner. We’re a little bit frustrated that we couldn’t create more chances.
“The players are disappointed because we felt we should’ve had a penalty. We had long spells with the ball, dominated it and created some good chances, but we feel like we could’ve done a little bit better in the final third.
“At the end the crowd were right behind us and you could feel that. The fans were terrific.
“The subs gave us another impetus when they came on. We pushed and pushed, but we just couldn’t find that winner.
“At home we wanted the three points, but we’ll have to settle for one.”
