Bees Buzz To Earn A Share

Thomas rues ‘clear penalty’ as Baggies slide towards a blip

- John Wragg

FATHER Christmas left early, but that was a bit harsh.

A West Brom supporter dressed up as Santa and sat in the crowd but, by the 27th minute, he was on his feet and heading for Exit V23 in the new stand.

He’s obviously busy at this time of the year what with reindeer to feed, sleds to oil and all that present wrapping, but Santa could have stuck it out a bit longer even if West Brom were getting outplayed.

Brentford ran the game for the first 45 minutes, took the lead, and then gave it away in the first minute of added time.

Even at this time of the year, that’s a bit over-generous.

The Christmas spirit wasn’t overflowing at West Brom, either, because manager Slaven Bilic had to deal with a prematch bust-up involving Egyptian center-half Ahmed Hegazi.

Bilic dropped Hegazi from the squad and admitted: “Something happened yesterday on the training ground. Nothing major that I’m going to discuss or share.

“It was little things, but big enough for him not to be in the squad today.”