Gera Proves A Handful

Geoff Horsfield picked up where he left off last season by sinking sorry Portsmouth at The Hawthorns and lodging a timely reminder of his Premiership potential.

In a week which saw the arrival of £3million striker Nathan Ellington, Horsfield was handed his first start of the season and responded with a double strike to keep his side’s unbeaten start to the season intact.

Three months ago Horsfield had fired the first goal against Portsmouth on a day which is destined to go down in Baggies folklore as one of the all-time great escapes.

Today he took just two minutes to remind boss Bryan Robson of his value with a firm header from Zoltan Gera’s cross to give his side a valuable lead.

Horsfield’s 59th minute second might have owed more to a lapse by Pompey goalkeeper Sander Westerveld but it was no less welcomed by the home faithful who are beginning to believe another last-day miracle may not be required.

For Portsmouth, who struck back through Laurent Robert’s free-kick and almost salvaged an undeserved draw in the final minute through substitute Giannis Skopelitis, the future appears much more grim.

Horsfield’s early strike was a timely wake-up call to the Pompey fans, who had journeyed north still delighted at having helped send local rivals Southampton down by losing to the Baggies in May.

This time the Saints’ misfortunes could not mask the fact that with two games gone Alain Perrin’s men are still pointless at the bottom of the pile and on this evidence they may be destined to stay there for some time.

Albion never really hit top gear but they were still a cut above the visitors in a low-key first half in which Horsfield’s early goal was the only effort on target by either side.

Lomana LuaLua provided a pacy if unpredictable threat to the home side’s solid back-line and called for a penalty after falling under Thomas Gaardsoe’s 13th-minute challenge in the box.

Otherwise it was a drab affair about as far removed from last season’s nervy finale as it was possible to be.

Zoltan Gera was a handful for the Baggies while his midfield partner Andy Johnson lofted a well-worked shot high over Westerveld’s bar in the 36th minute.

Full-back Paul Robinson came closest to extending his side’s lead six minutes from the break when Johnson’s neat through-ball found Campbell unmarked just inside the box.

The Baggies captain neatly laid off the ball to the onrushing Robinson whose ferocious left-footed volley flashed inches wide of Westerveld’s right-hand post.

LuaLua had Pompey’s best chance moments just before half-time when he darted through onto John Viafara’s pass only to drift wide in the box and sent his shot agonisingly across the face of goal.

Two off-target Robert free-kicks were all Pompey could muster in the early stages of the second half and their toothlessness in front of goal was punished by Horsfield in the 59th minute.

With Ellington watching from the bench, Horsfield gathered Gera’s pass in the right side of the box before turning the flat-footed Gregory Vignal and hitting a low shot which Westerveld appeared to fumble into his own net.

Any confusion over whether the ball had actually crossed the line proved academic as Andy Griffin’s half-clearance went straight to Campbell who smashed the ball home from close-range, but it was Horsfield claiming the goal.

That appeared to be the end of another satisfactory afternoon for Albion before Robert did what he does best in the 63rd minute, curling home a superb left-footed free-kick from 25 yards out on the right.

Pompey fashioned some late chances to seize a barely deserved draw, with another dangerous Robert free-kick finding the Albion wall, then substitute Skopelitis firing over the bar from the edge of the six-yard box in the final minute.