WBA 1      BIRMINGHAM  1

                                    Taylor - 2

          Horsfield - 61

At The Hawthorns

17th September 2000

Att: 19,858

The Blues £2.25million record signing has seen his St Andrews settling in period disrupted by an ankle injury, but proved he is back to full fitness with a typical finish.

Both rivals went into the game having finally hit top form this term and it was the Baggies who emerged from the early scrappings to sneak ahead through their own sharpshooter opening his account.

Veteran marksman Bob Taylor had not scored in eight appearances, but took just two minutes to rectify that and silence the visting Blues fans who had made the short trip to The Hawthorns.

Much of the headlines this season have gone to the goals of Lee Hughes and the lack of from Jason Roberts, but Taylor showed he has lost none of his own instincts in front of goal.

Jason Van Blerk caught the visiting defence on it’s heels with an imperious through-ball and the 33-year-old managed to force his way between Martin Grainger and Darren Purse before rocketing a sweet right-foot finish beyond a bemused Ian Bennett.

But even that shock start failed to kickstart to the Blues into life and some slipshod defending a little later on allowed Richard Sneekes to latch on to a Van Blerk cross, but while Hughes or Taylor would have found the net, the Dutchman’s header flew over the top of a gaping goal.

Only then did Trevor Francis’ men make a fist of it and they came within inches of levelling with their very first raid on the home goal, only to be denied by the woodwork – twice.

David Holdsworth’s venomous 25-yarder shook the goal as it cannoned back of joint of post and bar and the Blues could not believe their luck as Peter Ndlovu pounced on the rebound, but could only steer the rebound against the crossbar with Brian Jensen struggling to regain his ground.

It was enough to let the Baggies know they were finally in a battle and as the goalmouth incident dried up, industry and endeavour took over.

But Francis’ half-time teamtalk seemed to the trick and it was his side that looked likeliest to score upon the resumption.

Again, West Brom owed a debt of gratitude to the frame of the goal as Martin O’Connor thumped another long-range effort against the angle with Jensen frozed to his line.

Last week Blues sub Andy Johnson turned the game on it’s head and this week another inspired replacement finally saw the visitors get the goal their second-half superiority deserved.

This time around Dele Adebola emerged from the bench and powered his way through the middle on 61 minutes, before sliding a precise pass into the path of Horsfield, who buried the sort of finish that persuaded Francis to go shopping at Mohammed Al Fayed’s other establishment.

It was not enough to extend the Blues' winning run to six, but it was enough to deflate the Baggies and show that the Horse is now up and running.