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VENUE The Hawthorns Stadium ATTENDANCE 19,927 REFEREE Jonathan Moss (West Yorkshire) MATCH DATE 12 January 2007 KICK OFF TIME 19:45

WEST BROMWICH ALBION Russell Hoult   Steve Watson   Curtis Davies   Jared Hodgkiss 19   Neil Clement   Paul Robinson   Diomansy Kamara   Robert Koren 74   Richard Chaplow   Jonathan Greening   Jason Koumas   John Hartson   Zoltan Gera 74   Kevin Phillips   SUBS NOT USED Darren Carter   Pascal Zuberbuhler

LUTON TOWN Dean Kiely   Keith Keane   Chris Coyne   Russell Perrett   Sol Davis Ahmet Brkovic   Adam Boyd 67   Steve Robinson   David Bell   Lewis Emanuel   Richard Langley 67 Warren Feeney   Dean Morgan   SUBS NOT USED Danny Stevens   Marlon Beresford   Stephen O'Leary

Match Report	12 January 2007
West Bromwich Albion 3 - 2 Luton Town

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 3 Jason Koumas '45 Kevin Phillips '88, '90  LUTON TOWN 2 Keith Keane '60 Warren Feeney '70

HEARTBREAK FOR HATTERS WITH LATE LOSS AT WBA...

Two goals in the last two minutes from Kevin Phillips gave West Bromwich Albion a dramatic win at the Hawthorns and condemned Luton Town to an undeserved defeat.

Keith Keane's first League goal of the season on the hour on - just his second League start of the season - had cancelled out Jason Koumas' first-half injury-time opener for the hosts.

And Luton sensed a famous victory when Warren Feeney slid home his third goal in four matches 10 minutes later to put the Hatters 2-1 up.

But late, late developments saw the Baggies grab a controversial leveller in the 88th minute when David Bell lay injured on the ground.

And Luton's misery was complete in stoppage-time when former Baldock Town man Phillips completed the host's comeback to make it 3-2.

The Hatters made four changes to the side that drew 2-2 with QPR in the FA Cup as Dean Kiely, who was not permitted to play in the Cup game by parent club Portsmouth, replaced Marlon Beresford and with Kevin Foley still injured, Keane came in for the suspended Leon Barnett at right-back.

Elsewhere, Lewis Emanuel's return from a knee injury allowed Dean Morgan to push up in place of the departed Rowan Vine, who joined Birmingham City in the week for £2.5 million, while Bell came back after his one-match ban in place of Richard Langley in the centre of midfield.

After Peter Holmes' loan move to Chesterfield, the squad of 16 that Luton named featured every fit outfield player bar youngsters Chris Pendleton – on-loan at Hitchin Town anyway - and Shaun Ross.

West Brom, whose ex-Hatters Curtis Davies and John Hartson were both playing against Luton for the first time since leaving Kenilworth Road, made one change to the side that beat Leeds United 3-1 in the FA Cup on Saturday as Steve Watson replaced Paul McShane.

Hatters fans inside the Hawthorns displayed a banner stating 'No more sales BT', directed at Chairman Bill Tomlins in reference to the transfers of Vine and Carlos Edwards.

And the loss of Luton's two top scorers seemed to affect the team early on as the hosts dominated possession and hit the woodwork just three minutes in when Bell's foul on Phillips was ignored, allowing Richard Chaplow to arrow a 20-yard drive that skimmed off the far post.

Luton reacted well though and Bell's flicked tenth-minute pass down the left released Feeney, who cut inside before hitting a shot that deflected off Watson and past the far post.

The Hatters attacked down the left again four minutes later as Watson clattered into Emanuel only for Morgan to take over and cross for Feeney to prod just wide from six-yards.

Things didn't get any better for the home side as Koumas was booked before Davies limped out of the action early on after clutching his left foot.

West Brom were being reduced to long aimless balls forwards and one of those punts almost came off in the 18th minute when Hartson nodded down a long Russell Hoult clearance for Phillips to volley at Kiely from 20-yards.

Luton continued to pose a threat down the left flank as three minutes later Morgan slipped the ball for Feeney to bustle through and fire in a cross-shot that Robinson just prodded past the far post at full stretch, sliding into the six-yard box.

That scare shook Albion and the hosts then dominated for the rest of the half, but without creating any clear openings for all their possession.

Apart from two long-range efforts well off target, Chaplow flicked a 15-yard header wide from Phillips' 37th minute cross and brave defending from Russell Perrett denied Hartson two minutes later after Koumas had beaten Keane and delivered from the left.

The Hatters did get forward to register a shot on target with Morgan's 25-yard free-kick at Hoult in the 44th minute before Koumas tested Kiely with a 25-yarder seconds later.

Luton looked to be heading in on level terms at the interval, but disaster struck in the second minute of stoppage time as Phillips' flick released Koumas, who cut in-between Ahmet Brkovic and Keane, before curling low into the bottom corner, right-footed from 16-yards.

Luton started the second period in positive fashion as Morgan's deflected 24-yard effort tested Hoult two minutes in before the Baggies thought they had got a second in the 53rd minute only for Phillips' cheeky effort to be ruled out.

Phillips lobbed home from the edge of the area after Kamara had knocked the ball out of Kiely's hands as he went to kick a clearance, but the challenge was deemed a foul and the goal was disallowed.

Phillips then went close again a minute later as the home fans lifted the volume, but his turn and close-range shot from Kamara's pass was blocked by Kiely before Kamara fired the rebound over from eight-yards.

Out of the blue, Luton grabbed a superb leveller on the hour when Keane picked up the ball in the right-back position and played two one-twos, firstly with Brkovic and then with Robinson before advancing into the area and rifling home into Hoult's left-hand, bottom corner, left-footed from nine-yards out.

Sensing an unlikely victory, Luton boss Mike Newell made a double substitution in the 67th minute bringing on Richard Langley and Adam Boyd for Emanuel and Brkovic.

And Boyd was involved as Luton bagged another well-worked goal in the 70th minute. Keane's throw was touched by Boyd to Bell, who returned to Boyd, running into the area, and the former Hartlepool man touched on for Feeney to net his fourth of the season.

The Hatters almost got a third when Morgan jinked past three defenders on the left and crossed for Feeney to try an outrageous back-heel that unluckily bounced away off the post.

"Instead West Brom grabbed a last-gasp leveller two minutes from time"

Instead West Brom grabbed a last-gasp leveller two minutes from time when substitute Zoltan Gera nodded down Robinson's cross for Phillips to hold off three defenders before spinning to fire home from eight-yards.

The goal was surrounded in controversy as Bell fell to the ground injured in the build up only for play to be allowed to continue.

"Unbelievably the Baggies then scored a dramatic injury-time winner"

Unbelievably the Baggies then scored a dramatic injury-time winner as Davis' foul led to Koumas delivering a free-kick from the right that Phillips headed in from six-yards.

Newell's Comments	12 January 2007
West Bromwich Albion 3-2 Luton Town "When we went a goal down just before half-time it was a bit of a body blow. We showed great character and played some good football in the second-half to get ourselves into a winning position. "Unfortunately we couldn't see it through again, which is very frustrating "It was a foul for the their second goal. Looking from a footballing point of view, I was disappointed in the way we conceded the goal, but I was also very disappointed that no free-kick was given. "I don't put things down to luck to be honest, because luck does even itself out over a season. When things are going for you, things tend to go for you for a long spell. "I can understand the frustrations of the fans at us selling Viney and Edwards, but at the end of the day I'm managing a football club that hasn't got a ground, hasn't got a training ground, doesn't own anything and needs to pay wages to players so it can survive in the Championship. "That's what I'm doing. I'm managing and if you look up the definition of managing in the dictionary one of the entries says 'to get by' and that's what we're doing at the moment; getting by. "It's good money and it's an opportunity for Rowan to maybe play at a higher level, which is what he wants. "We don't want to put players up for sale, but every single player has a price. That's the case at every single football club and even more so here. "I'd love it if we were in a position to say to a club 'no, that player's not for sale', but it's not an expression I can use. "I would say that the board have never been reluctant to sell a player and what I would also say is they are guided by my valuation of a player, which you would expect to be the case at every football club, but which isn't always the case. "We have brought in players who have progressed in the last few years and have brought in near to £9million having spent just over £1million on five players. We also have three other players currently in the first-team who we brought for nothing so I would say that is good business in anybody's book. "We played without Carlos in the last game and did quite well. "I'm not suggesting we will do well without Carlos and Viney until the end of the season because they've been influential players and have done well for us. "I also don't know whether we will be able to replace them. It would be difficult to bring in players who are like for like and that's why someone has paid £2.5million for Viney and £1.5million for Carlos because they're capable at playing at the top of this League and possibly in the Premier League. "I don't want to see someone go, but we must be doing something right in bringing in players for next to nothing and developing them because I don't see the same clamour for other Championship sides' players. "Unfortunately it's not only Viney and Carlos that people are interested in, that's the worrying thing. "There will come a time when the Barnett's and Bell’s and the like, there will come a time when people want to come and take them off us too. "Everyone asked where the goals were going to come from when Howie left. "They came from Viney. Now we'll just have to find someone else to get them now that Viney's gone – it's not the end of the world I promise you. "I'm still keeping myself fit and I scored the goal of the morning today in training. It wasn't quite 25-yards out, it was a bit closer than that but it was a curler into the top corner. "I've said on many occasions that I only have to play for ten or five minutes of a game to win that bet and Alan Shearer’s never going to play again, I'm quite certain of that. "I’ve been told we’re after signing Pawel Abbott from Huddersfield Town and that’s just speculation and I don't deal in speculation. If we bring someone in we'll let you know and if we sell someone we'll let you know."

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