James Morrison, the new permanent head coach of West Bromwich Albion, has explained his decision to hand a rare start to defender Alfie Gilchrist in Saturday's 2-1 final-day defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, while admitting his side 'lacked quality' in the loss.
Gilchrist Rewarded for Training Impact
Gilchrist, 22, was recalled for just his eighth league start in 46 attempts, having been sidelined since the draw against Southampton on March 11. The former Chelsea right-back, who joined Albion last summer, had impressed at centre-back in that game but lost his place to Nat Phillips.
Morrison said: 'It was just to give Alfie a go. He did well against Southampton. He'd been training really well, so I rewarded him for that.'
Defeat Ends Unbeaten Run
Despite Gilchrist's inclusion, Albion were unable to prevent a deserved win for the Owls, who led 2-0 at half-time. Morrison, who wanted to sign off for the season with an 11-game unbeaten run, introduced Karlan Grant, Daryl Dike and Tammer Bany at the break.
'We huffed and puffed,' Morrison said. 'We got around their box quite a few times, but we just didn't have the qualities there.'
Key Miss and Missed Chances
Midfielder Jayson Molumby was a key absentee after picking up a hamstring strain in training on Wednesday. Morrison felt his side lacked intensity and ball retention.
'We got the goal through a miskick, a wide free-kick, and it landed in the box. Then we had that chance with Daryl. I don't know why he hasn't gone down. He was too honest, really. Or he could have just laid it off. We could have had a good chance and got the momentum again. But I can't take anything away from Sheffield Wednesday, because I thought they were worthy winners there.'
The head coach added: 'It was loud to get instructions on. We tried to tweak a few things with the personnel. I felt like we needed to try at half-time to get some intensity on the pitch, try to get pressure higher up, and get some ball carriers. We didn't value the ball today at all. Sometimes it was like hot potato.'
