West Brom 2 Preston 1: Baggies return to winning ways with beauties to leapfrog visitors

Ryan Mason's side were 2-1 winners over the visitors who had started the day two points above the Baggies in the Championship.

For Albion it was the ideal restart after an international break and perfect response to a miserable 3-0 defeat at Millwall a fortnight ago.

It took two excellent strikes to see off the Lancashire side, not least the opener from Johnston for just his second goal of the season five minutes before half-time.

Fellow attacker Price looked to have made the game safe just after the hour as he curled in a first goal for more than two months.

But Preston rallied and pulled one back through substitute Michael Smith with 12 minutes left. Mason's men were made to work extremely hard late on through nine minutes of stoppages where Josh Griffiths was largely untroubled until a fine flying save from Daniel Jebbison.

Three points lifted Albion above the visitors and into fourth but more importantly were a welcome bounce back from their previously display and the start of a bid to put right a home record that had read just one win in five in all competitions - four in the league.

A busy week lies ahead with the trips to Watford on Wednesday and Ipswich next Saturday.

Home winger Johnston attempted to signal some intent from his side with a dragged low shot wide from distance after just 20 seconds.

But it was a sleepy start in general at The Hawthorns. Paul Heckingbottom's visitors showed some early intent and the confidence that had lifted them to fourth during the international break.

Most of the threat came from distance. Skipper Ben Whiteman was twice denied by routine Griffiths saves and a couple of set-piece deliveries threatened. The dominant Nat Phillips collected an early caution for halting Milutin Osmajic on the break. Alex Mowatt impressed for Albion and saw an early sighter from 20 yards fly over.

As would be proven, Johnston was his side's threatening outlet and a dangerous cross-shot dribbled along the six-yard box with clear chances few and far between.

Albion seemed to have got off the hook as full home debutant Toby Collyer survived a penalty claim as Chris Mepham could only half-clear a cross. The midfielder's slide challenge on the blindside seemed to catch Preston's Harrison Armstrong in the box, but referee Andrew Kitchen was unmoved.

Mason's men seemed to find their feet from the midpoint of the first half as Price, who looked tired in some moments, was twice denied by Daniel Iversen. The Preston keeper made a big one-handed stop to keep out the initial strike and Price's left-footed follow-up lacked confidence.

But the Baggies were indebted to Griffiths moments later as the keeper stuck out his left leg to deny Milutin Osjamic one-v-one - and break Mepham out of jail. The defender got his backwards pass looking for Mowatt all wrong and played in Osmajic.

Josh Maja began to influence things more with his movement and close control. He wasted a chance to shoot after a neat move involving Callum Styles before teeing up Price, who was denied by Iversen from 25 yards. The Baggies tested Preston from a series of corners, as Phillips and George Campbell both troubled the away defence.

Johnston, who was called up but did not play a minute for Ireland, was the brightest spark on the field and five minutes before the interval he punished Preston for daring to allow him five yards of space.

The winger cut in from the left and made good use of the room.

He unleashed a dipping right-footed strike that flew into the top left corner with a degree of movement that left Iversen flapping. It was right out of the top drawer from the winger.

It was all that separated the sides after a fairly watchable first period lacking in quality aside from the goal.

Mason's side were back on the front foot after the interval, but had the blow of losing Collyer - lively and progressive on his first home start - to what appeared a lower leg issue.

Preston had one or two sniffs in the final third without working Griffiths, though while the Baggies' lead was just one goal, the visitors had hopes of a leveller.

They were all-but extinguished just after the hour, however, thanks to another top-class finish.

The impressive Mowatt led a charge and picked the timing of his pass to Price perfectly.

The attacker, who with Johnston was in space on the left, had time to curl a lovely strike high into the far right corner for 2-0. Iversen was once again a spectator.

The cliché goes 2-0 is often a dangerous scoreline and so it proved here.

Three Preston subs combined but it was a poor Mepham error that allowed the visitors in. The Baggies man failed to clear Mads Frokjaer-Jensen's ball down the right and it allowed Jebbison to centre for Smith, who turned home as nerves jangled.

Jebbison might have gone from creator to scorer moments later as he skewed a difficult volley off target after a diagonal ball drifted over the head of Mepham.

Albion missed a chance to settle it with five minutes left as the bright Sam Iling-Junior headed wide from Mowatt's cross. Preston continued to huff and puff down the other end but lacked quality. Changes included a welcome return for Karlan Grant late on.

Even nine minutes did little to encourage the visitors, until right at the death, where Griffiths was required for a flying save from Jebbison from range to ensure the points stayed in the Black Country.

Albion (4-2-3-1): Griffiths; Campbell, Phillips, Mepham, Styles; Collyer (Molumby, 55), Mowatt (c); Iling-Junior (Grant, 87), Price (Diakite, 88), Johnston (Taylor, 87); Maja (Heggebo, 68).

Subs not used: Wildsmith, Bielik, Gilchrist, Dike.  

Preston (3-5-2): Iversen; Storey, Hughes, Gibson; Small (Smith, 69), Armstrong (McCann, 69), Whiteman (c), Devine (Frokjaer-Jensen, 76), Vukcevic (Offiah, 68); Dobbin, Osmajic (Jebbison, 69).

Subs not used: Walton, Lindsay, Carroll, Thordarson.

Referee: Andrew Kitchen