Charlie Austin continued to fulfil his role of super-sub for Slaven Bilic as he settled the West Midlands derby at St. Andrews this afternoon.<\/p>\n
The fans present at St. Andrews, and the global TV audience, could be forgiven for feeling a sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu.<\/p>\n
In March, at The Hawthorns, these two sides produced another 3-2 derby with the same wild swings in momentum and, eventually, the same victor.<\/p>\n
It is West Brom\u2019s fans that emerge from the match with bragging rights in the workplaces of the West Midlands once more.<\/p>\n
The Birmingham fans had the first cause to celebrate in the match as Lukas Jutkiewicz produced a powerful header past Sam Johnstone.<\/p>\n
The lead didn\u2019t last long as Grady Diangana continued the fantastic form that is really allowing him to stand out in the Championship.<\/p>\n
He gave West Brom an early leveller with an opportunist effort in a crowded penalty box.<\/p>\n
Birmingham fans will probably feel looking at the match statistics that their team was deserving of at least a point from the encounter having outshot the Baggies and won the corner count 7-2.<\/p>\n
Blues fans would have been expecting something from the game after Harlee Dean headed Blues back into the lead early in the second half.<\/p>\n
The match turned on the introduction of sharpshooter Austin.<\/p>\n
His first, after 73 minutes, was a superb piece of play. He flicked Jake Livermore’s pass and found the back of the net with a half-volley from the edge-of-the-box.<\/p>\n
The winner was more routine but still showed a marksman\u2019s touch. Austin peeled away and planted a header past Trueman in the Birmingham goal to send the Baggies\u2019 fans into raptures.<\/p>\n
The victory temporarily lifts West Brom to the top of the Championship; perhaps more importantly, increasing the gap back to third place still further.<\/p>\n
Albion look to be in a very strong position leading into the festive period.<\/p>\n
Words:\u00a0<\/strong>Andy Watson<\/p>\n Main Photo<\/p>\n