Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End at The Hawthorns on Saturday | Alex Mowatt, Kyle Bartley and Darnell Furlong score as Carlos Corberan's Baggies confirm play-off place
Saturday 4 May 2024 16:14, UK
West Brom confirmed their place in the Championship play-offs as they eased to a 3-0 victory over Preston on the final day of the regular season.
Alex Mowatt struck a penalty in first-half stoppage time before Kyle Bartley nodded in a second for the Baggies on the hour mark.
Darnell Furlong then netted his fifth goal of the season in the 68th minute to ensure the home side finished fifth and the visitors' campaign was completed with five successive losses.
West Brom began the game on the front foot and Grady Diangana tested Freddie Woodman with a low drive in the early stages, but Preston held their motivated hosts at arm's length and slowly grew into the game.
Andrew Hughes tried his luck from outside the penalty area, but his effort took a deflection on its way through to goalkeeper Alex Palmer.
At the other end, Albion ought to have gone in front when Brandon Thomas-Asante was first to a loose ball after Preston failed to clear Mowatt's free-kick, but he couldn't direct his effort from close range on target and captain Bartley failed to make contact at the far post.
West Brom would head into the break in front, though, when Darnell Furlong was adjudged to have been felled by Liam Lindsay inside the penalty area and Mowatt consequently sent Woodman in the North End goal the wrong way.
Mowatt was teed up by lively Celtic loanee Mikey Johnston at the beginning of the second half, but he curled the ball high over the bar.
West Brom continued to create, and Mowatt proved to be the orchestrator from set-pieces - both centre-halves Cedric Kipre and then Bartley fired just over the bar in quick succession.
Johnston produced some magic on the by-line but his pull-back was turned over by Thomas-Asante from a matter of yards out.
West Brom did have their second on the hour mark, though. Furlong's signature long throw was nodded over keeper Woodman by Bartley and the ball looped over the line despite an attempted clearance.
Albion, with the cushion, began to enjoy themselves. Less than 10 minutes after their second goal arrived, they plundered a third when Conor Townsend won a 50-50 on the left and he picked out opposing full-back Furlong, who dispatched with ease.
The West Brom right-back went close again when it opened up for him on the edge of the box, but he fizzed a shot wide of Woodman's left-hand post.
Semi-final first legs
Norwich vs Leeds (12pm) - Sunday May 12
West Brom vs Southampton (2.15pm) - Sunday May 12
Semi-final second legs
Leeds vs Norwich (8pm) - Thursday May 16
Southampton vs West Brom (8pm) - Friday May 17
Final
Sunday May 26 (kick-off tbc)
West Brom's Carlos Corberan:
"Football is about this - making your best so you can live these special moments.
"I'm happy to have the possibility to put this group there and to do it with this group of players. They deserve, over the season, the position we've achieved today.
"We've been there for many, many weeks and means we don't go on holiday - I wasn't ready for a holiday! I wanted to live the moment we're going to live. The first target, to reach the play-offs, is done, and now we will work towards the next one.
"I wanted to relive this moment, after Huddersfield, because this club deserve it. Unfortunately last year we couldn't achieve it, but this year we have.
"The play-offs give you the step that allow you to fight for promotion. We know we are going to have a massively strong test, because Southampton are a team that were in the Premier League last year and who deserve their position too.
"We know how difficult the new target, which is Wembley, will be to achieve, but we are going to make our best."
Preston's Ryan Lowe:
"We were nowhere near the level.
"It's been disappointing for everyone involved, the fans and hierarchy, because we wanted to finish the season on a high. To finish 10th is a good bonus, 63 points - we wanted more.
"It's my job to find solutions and be better next season. The recruitment has already started, to find more leaders, more quality for when we have a burst of injuries as we've had.
"I'm convinced we can get to 70-odd points. This (losing the final five matches) doesn't happen if you've got more points, because you're in with a fighting chance. I don't think my team would've gave in like it looks like they have. That's disappointing.
"Between nine, 10, 11 points (to the play-offs), we have to make up that gap. There have been times this season where we should've won.
"We'd have been in a better position, but I believe in my ability, my staff's ability, the players we've got at our disposal now and I think we can achieve some great things and keep pushing on."
