West Brom midfielder Isaac Price has pointed to squad depth as the engine behind back-to-back Championship wins, after substitute Felix Horn Myhre's 89th-minute header completed a stunning comeback against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
The Baggies trailed Tony Mowbray's side by two goals before Price himself levelled with a cheeky Panenka penalty, sending Blackburn goalkeeper Balazs Toth the wrong way to make it 2-2. Horn Myhre then came off the bench and, within two minutes of his introduction, headed home his first league goal for the club to seal a 3-2 win.
It followed an identical pattern to Tuesday's late win at Wrexham, where Price had equalised before Aune Heggebo scored the winner as a substitute. Two games, two come-from-behind victories, two match-winning contributions from players who started on the bench.
"We've got a good squad and there's a lot of belief," Price told BBC Radio WM. "The subs changed the game at Wrexham in midweek and they did again here. Felix gets into goalscoring positions and he can get a lot more goals."
The result means James Morrison's side have now come from behind to win three times in 11 league matches this season. That resilience has carried them into the Championship's expanded six-team play-off zone, where they currently sit fifth. Birmingham City occupy fourth, Stoke City sixth and Wolverhampton Wanderers eighth, making it a Midlands-heavy cluster in the top six.
Price acknowledged the slow start against Blackburn but refused to dwell on it. "We had a really poor start. We conceded two poor goals that we shouldn't concede but we still controlled large parts of the game and we got there in the end," he said.
The Northern Ireland international also reflected on the logic of squad rotation, even if no player relishes being left out. "No player wants to be rested but, in the grand scheme of things, it's for the best. You can't be playing too many games. It helps keep players fresh."
Panenka poise under pressure
Price's penalty to level at 2-2 drew as much attention as the winner itself. The midfielder revealed he had done his homework on Toth before stepping up. "I know their keeper plays for Hungary and I knew they've been watching my recent penalties, so I thought now the time was right to try it," he said. "It looks good when it comes off. But, if the keeper had stood where he was in the middle and caught it, there might have been a few people not too happy."
Price now has six goals for the season, with the Panenka his most eye-catching. His assist for Heggebo's winner at Wrexham means he has contributed directly to both of Albion's decisive moments in this recent run, even when the headline glory went to a teammate.
Eyes on Preston, feet on the ground
Albion head to bottom-of-the-table Preston North End this Saturday looking to make it three straight wins. Price is wary of the mood swings that can grip a promotion or play-off contender mid-season.
"We don't get too down when it's going badly and we don't get too high when we're going well," he said. "There are a lot of games in this league and things can change very quickly."
That emotional steadiness, combined with a bench capable of deciding matches, may prove as valuable as anything else West Brom possess as the second tier's congested play-off picture tightens heading into November.
Frequently asked
- Where are West Brom in the Championship table?
- West Brom currently sit fifth in the Championship, inside the play-off places, after back-to-back wins against Wrexham and Blackburn Rovers.
- Who scored West Brom's winner against Blackburn?
- Felix Horn Myhre headed home in the 89th minute, just two minutes after coming off the bench, to complete a 3-2 comeback win for the Baggies.
- Who is Isaac Price and what has he contributed this season?
- Isaac Price is a Northern Ireland international midfielder at West Brom. He has scored six goals this season, including a Panenka penalty against Blackburn, and provided the assist for Aune Heggebo's winner at Wrexham.
