West Brom debrief: Key changes, January masterclass & cross those fingers

So the 400 mile plus round trip for the 1,600 travelling fans was made even sweeter at Home Park on Tuesday night with the thumping win.

Jonny Drury takes a long at some of the talking points to come from the crucial win.

A turning point on the road

Carlos Corberan has been asked numerous times about the difference between Albion at home and his side on their travels.

And largely he has denied they are doing anything massively different.

But something has been missing, a spark of some sorts.

There has certainly been displays that have been different, and some results, and they were in need of something in Devon.

And in the second half, boy did they get it.

In the first half it seemed a bit like it might be the same old story as they lacked a cutting edge and were poor in possession at times.

However, whatever the Spaniard said at half time it worked because Albion were a different outfit when they emerged from the dressing room.

With more key away games coming up, starting with Hull on Saturday, this result and the manner of it has come just at the right time.

Substitutes on the button

It was a rare occurrence in the Southampton defeat to see Corberan criticised for his tactical tweaks.

As it transpired, Brandon Thomas-Asante was taken off on Friday due to a hamstring issue, but there were other changes he made that were questioned.

Jed Wallace, John Swift and Mikey Johnston were all taken off as Albion were chasing the game against the Saints.

But the same argument couldn't be made at Home Park. His changes made the difference.

Grady Diangana had an influence, and it was evident to see the impact that Mikey Johnston made with his superbly taken goal and his jinking runs.

But arguably the best change was bringing Okay Yokuslu on.

Albion had just gone ahead but Plymouth were starting to edge back into the game.

Adding the Turk into the mix almost felt like putting a plug in a hole. It stopped any form of Plymouth response and from that point on, Albion were on the home straight.

January masterclass

Last January it felt like Albion had added two decent players for this level. Nathaniel Chalobah showed glimpses of what he could do before he got injured.

And fans were excited about the addition of Marc Albrighton, a Premier League winner who had done it year in, year out at the top level.

But it is safe to say he flopped.

This time around, the January signings have been on the money.

Johnston showed, even in his Birmingham cameo, that he has something special and why his Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers said he was one of the club's best ever academy products.

He's a match winner, he has something special, and he has been a shrewd addition.

Although he missed chances in this one, Andi Weimann has been much the same. His instinct in front of goal is something Albion have lacked and he put a shift in at Plymouth.

Callum Marshall is someone we haven't seen a lot of but he clearly has talent and his addition provides an option.

If they do get in the play-offs, the January recruitment will have been a key factor.

Cross those fingers

It seems that when Albion's injury luck, certainly with strikers, can't get any worse, it does.

Fans were concerned ahead of the game to see no Brandon Thomas-Asante in the squad, with Corberan confirming it was down to a hamstring issue picked up in the defeat to Southampton.

He explained that the club were awaiting results of a second scan, as they wanted a second opinion. You can read into that in two ways really.

But one thing is for sure, we need to cross our fingers because Albion can ill afford another loss in the striking department.

If BTA is to miss a few weeks, that leaves young Marshall and Jovan Malcolm as the strikers in the squad.

His loss would be massive, but hopefully it doesn't come to that.