Ryan off to a flying start after Baggies' first win

NEW West Brom head coach Ryan Mason praised his side’s fighting spirit after they battled to a 1-0 Championship win against Blackburn at The Hawthorns.

- 

Isaac Price’s 15th-minute goal gave Albion a deserved victory in Mason's first game in charge, with Aune Heggebo and Price twice going close.

Blackburn's only serious threat came from Yuki Ohashi’s saved shot but the hosts had to withstand late pressure before and after Darnell Furlong’s red card in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage-time.

Former Tottenham assistant coach Mason, 34 - who replaced Tony Mowbray in June ~ said: “The reality of this league is you have to suffer at times.

“When you're in those moments - like we probably were in those last 10-15 minutes - defending our box and putting bodies on the line, that was the pleasing thing for me today.

“Most importantly, the feeling I got from the group was the willingness to work and fight for each other.

“We're going to need that going forward. I watched the Championship game last night (a 1-1 draw between Birmingham and Ipswich) and the early kickoff match today (Southampton 2-1 Wrexham) and in this league, the game is not finished until the final whistle goes.

“You have to fight in every moment and we showed a real desire to protect each other. That's certainly a foundation we're going to need.”

Albion had more chances, with attacking midfielder Price’s 25-yard curling free-kick scooped over the crossbar by goalkeeper Balazs Toth.

The former Everton youngster swept home a loose ball after Rovers failed to deal with Furlong’s long throw-in. Heggebo wrestled fellow debutant Ryan Alebiosu off the ball to carve out the chance.