West Bromwich Albion left it extremely late last time out to hand new manager Tony Mowbray his second win back at the Baggies helm.
The clock had already ticked all the way down to the 96th-minute mark by the time Jayson Molumby delivered a last-gasp sucker punch for Sheffield Wednesday to deal with, resulting in the home masses jumping for joy whilst the Owls away support cursed their luck as a dramatic 2-1 victory was sealed.
Mowbray will hope these wins in the Championship keep coming after a topsy-turvy start to life back in the Hawthorns hot seat, with the likes of Tom Fellows no doubt key to his promotion-chasing side picking up more crucial victories as the season edges closer to some tense games.
Fellows and Maja’s importance to West Brom
Indeed, Fellows – despite only being on the pitch for 23 minutes – managed to add another assist to his glittering resume versus Danny Rohl’s men, with his last-gasp corner perfect for Molumby who instinctively flicked an effort home.
That bumps up Fellows’ ever-growing assist count for the Baggies in league action this season to a hefty 11, with two goals also coming the homegrown talent’s way reinforcing how stellar of a campaign he is experiencing so far.
He is only topped in the West Brom ranks in terms of goal contributions by the injury-stricken Josh Maja, with the former Sunderland man boasting 12 goals and two assists himself before injury disaster struck.
Thankfully for Mowbray, the late loan addition of Adam Armstrong on transfer deadline day has eased this major blow somewhat, with the prolific EFL centre-forward helping himself to the opener against Wednesday before the carnage of Molumby’s winner ensued.
The West Brom player is now outperforming Maja & Fellows
West Brom have fallen victim to many top clubs poaching their young talents before they’ve fully bloomed over the years, with Morgan Rogers one that immediately springs to mind, having been a youth player at the Hawthorns for nine years until Manchester City swooped in.
This example actually involves Rogers’ current club, Aston Villa, with Finn Azaz relocating to nearby Villa Park in the summer of 2021 after making no senior appearances for his ex-employers.
Azaz didn’t gain any senior minutes in his new location, but it was a move to Middlesbrough last year that finally saw the 24-year-old really explode into life in the senior game in the second tier to the agony of his boyhood side.
Joining Michael Carrick’s men mid-way through the 2023/24 season from Plymouth Argyle didn’t end up fazing Azaz, as the 6 foot 1 attacker closed out his first mini campaign at the Riverside Stadium with a mightily impressive nine goal contributions from 20 league clashes.
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Azaz league numbers (24/25) |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Azaz |
|
Games played |
29 |
|
Goals scored |
8 |
|
Assists |
9 |
|
Shots per game |
2.8 |
|
Key passes per game |
2.2 |
|
Big chances missed |
4 |
|
Big chances created |
8 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
|
He has come on leaps and bounds this season too with a staggering 17 goal contributions next to his name from 29 league appearances, leaving the likes of Maja and Fellows in the dust. It’s on that basis that they will surely regret losing him.
Carrick’s lavish praise of the 24-year-old for being the “whole package” last campaign now has even more substance behind it too, as Boro attempt to clinch a playoff spot courtesy of their star man’s typically captivating showings.
With Boro only three points behind West Brom in the current league standings, a fascinating tussle for a spot in the top six could soon take place, with Azaz wanting to presumably get one over on his ex-club to pile on even more pain for Mowbray and Co.
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Mowbray could already have West Brom’s next Tom Fellows in “fantastic” teen
West Bromwich Albion could already have their next Tom Fellows in the making.
