West Brom take to the track to lift spirits at the Hawthorns
WEST BROM are in pole position to make the final laps of this Premier League race as straightforward as Lewis Hamilton's Australian Grand Prix triumph after a go-karting challenge got them back on the right track.
Darren Fletcher says West Brom's go-karting trip was need to lift spirits at the Hawthorns
Tony Pulis's side geared themselves up for a rare victory over his former club Stoke by taking to a local track for some high-speed action.
The Baggies were certainly quicker off the grid as Brown Ideye capitalised on a defensive mistake to head home his seventh goal of the season and earn three more precious points to keep them well ahead of the relegation stragglers.
Skipper Darren Fletcher revealed the secret behind Albion's flying start as they bounced back from the bitter disappointment of back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa.
"We organised a go-karting trip and went as a team," said the Scotland international, who has been a revelation in the six weeks since his arrival from Manchester United.
"We were just trying to lift spirits because it was hard losing the two games to Villa, especially the cup tie. I felt the lads were really flat, a few others also felt the same way.
"So we thought go-karting was a good idea. But it wasn't the time to be showing the world what we were doing in the circumstances, therefore we kept it quiet.
"We all had a great time and it certainly did the trick. Small things like this definitely help, so maybe we'll go go-karting again this week!"
Hughes: West Brom loss hopefully a blip [AMBIENT]
After Ideye grabbed the all-important winner, nipping in ahead of a hesitant Phil Bardsley to get his head to Craig Gardner's 20th-minute cross, Albion earned only their second win in the last 17 League meetings with Stoke by keeping an eighth clean sheet in 13 matches since Pulis breezed into the Hawthorns with the task of halting Albion's slide into trouble.
"The clean sheets are not a coincidence," insisted Fletcher. "It's down to hard work; a lot of time and effort on the training ground. The players are buying into what the manager wants.
"It was a great result, but we'll keep going until it's mathematically impossible to get relegated. It's a case of keep going and keep reaching the standards we have been in previous games. Even when we are safe, let's not just end the season there."
We were just trying to lift spirits because it was hard losing the two games to Villa, especially the cup tie
Darren Fletcher
Stoke never really got out of first gear as hopes of a sixth successive Premier League win at such a happy hunting ground ended in disappointment.
To compound their misery, Jon Walters was left nursing a suspected fractured cheekbone while Erik Pieters and Victor Moses also joined their injury list.
Walters had provided Mark Hughes' side with their one moment of hope as he saw a twisting header brilliantly saved by substitute keeper Boaz Myhill.
But Myhill's opposite number Asmir Begovic conceded: "It wasn't a great day for us overall. We didn't reach the levels that we need to.
"The quality of our play wasn't good enough. We didn't create too many chances and we didn't keep the ball well enough.
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"We feel we can compete with anyone in the League, but you have to make sure you perform on the day. We just didn't do that.
"We know what to expect from Tony Pulis teams, it's not rocket science. We prepared like we do for any other game, but it's what you do on the day that really matters. If you don't perform, you get punished.
"You have to cope with the pressure. The way they came out, they were highly motivated, as you would expect after two hard defeats, and we took one or things for granted. Maybe that was due to the fact that we'd had a break."
WEST BROM (4-1-4-1): Foster 6 (Myhill 56, 6); Dawson 7, McAuley 6, Lescott 6, Brunt 7; Fletcher 8; Morrison 7, Gardner 7, Sessegnon 6, Berahino 7 (Baird 90); Ideye 6 (Olsson 90). Booked: Myhill. Goal: Ideye 20. NEXT UP: Man City (a) Sat, PL.
