I have been waiting all season to heap praise on Craig Dawson properly, and despite him leaving the pitch prematurely due to injury, he was in contention for man of the match.
Dawson is often considered one of those "Marmite players", where fans either love him or hate him. A select group of supporters have often said that he neither defends well nor gets forward as a modern full back should. I have always disagreed with these sentiments as he has become one of Tony Pulis' most trusted figures since our Head Coach arrived at Albion. Before his departure due to a collision with Bournemouth's Tyrone Mings, Dawson was arguably the best player on the pitch. His fantastic strike in the first half was unexpected and sublime.
Albion and the Premier League's oldest outfield player, Gareth McAuley, poked home the winning goal, bringing his total to seven goals this season and becoming the league's top scoring defender and Albion's joint-top goalscorer. Not bad for a 37 year old!
Whilst the game was effectively decided in the first half, Albion made hard work of the second. Due to the inability to keep possession as we had been earlier in the match Bournemouth were able to get more into the game and threaten. In injury time they would have equalised, if not for the heroics of player of the season contender Ben Foster. Our goalkeeper once again proving his saves are just as vital in securing points as goals are.
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