Lee Johnson believes Bristol City proved a point by beating Championship promotion favourites West Brom at Ashton Gate. Written off by many in the wake of a depressing sequence of seven matches without a win which saw them slip into the bottom half of the table, City staged a superb second-half recovery to come from a goal behind, win 2-1 and silence the critics who have been calling for manager Gary Johnson to be replaced. Victory over high-flying Albion will serve as a massive shot in the arm for a City side which showed what can be achieved by hard work and determination. "I think we've proved a massive point," said Johnson, whose first goal of the season sealed a long-overdue success. "People outside of Bristol probably didn't give us much chance against West Brom, but there is something about being an underdog which brings out the best in Bristol City."
Bristol Evening Post
Bristol City rediscovered their best form when it mattered most to pass their Ashton Gate screen test with flying colours. Unbeaten in 10 games and hard on the heels of Championship leaders Newcastle United, the Baggies arrived in Bristol in a rich vein of form but left with tails between legs after being taken to the cleaners by the resurgent Robins. If the BBC selected this game for live coverage in the hope of witnessing a West Brom master-class, they were quickly disabused of the idea as City came from behind to register their first win in eight games and put much-needed distance between themselves and the relegation zone. Albion started well enough and forged a 24th minute lead through the impressive Graham Dorrans. But City refused to buckle and staged a remarkable second-half fight-back to turn the formbook upside down.
Bristol Evening Post
Albion paid for a dreadful second-half display at Ashton Gate as their unbeaten away record ended at 12 Championship matches. On-loan Wolves striker Chris Iwelumo scored Bristol City's first goal as the Baggies threw away a half-time lead. Graham Dorrans' 13th goal of the season had given Roberto Di Matteo's men the lead at the end of a scrappy first-half, but City improved dramatically after the interval and Iwelumo equalised on 55 minutes. Then Lee Johnson applied the winning touch four minutes later from a cross by Danny Haynes, as the hosts exploited some woeful defending.
Express & Star
Chris Iwelumo's 100th career goal stunned West Bromwich and left their manager Roberto Di Matteo worrying whether his squad can cope with the demands of a promotion run-in. The Scottish striker, on loan from Albion's rivals Wolves, had been waiting 10 months to reach the landmark after a season ruined by two broken metatarsals. But his tap-in from two yards, after Lee Johnson's curling corner wasn't cleared, could be even more significant for Di Matteo's hopes of winning promotion in his first season in charge.
Daily Mail
Roberto Di Matteo might be the calmest of Coca-Cola Championship managers but the former Chelsea midfield player admitted being "angered and disappointed" by the second-half capitulation of his promotion-chasing West Bromwich Albion team in a game of swinging fortunes. It had looked an away banker. West Brom went into the match with only one defeat in 14 games and their opponents near the relegation zone after two wins in 17 league fixtures. The visiting team had also won a previous contest 4-1 at The Hawthorns. The bookmakers appeared to have got it right when Graham Dorrans put West Brom ahead in the 24th minute. But his team reckoned without the fighting spirit of a home side looking to erase the memory of a 6-0 thrashing by Cardiff City last month. Goals by Chris Iwelumo, the first of the striker's loan spell from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Lee Johnson, the manager's son, turned the game around.
Times
Two goals in four second-half minutes condemned West Bromwich Albion to only their second defeat on the road this season as City chalked up only their third victory in 20 games. West Brom were much the better side in the first half but the way they wilted under mounting pressure from Gary Johnson's side in the second will cause concern for them while giving their promotion rivals plenty of hope. "I'm angry because we were in the driving seat and gave it away," said Albion manager Roberto Di Matteo. "We were comfortable and in control of the game and we shouldn't have let them back into the match." Johnson was full of praise for his team, who have slipped down the table recently: "We put in an unbelievably committed, passionate performance. I don't think my players quite realise how good they can be."
Telegraph
Bristol City today arrested a freefall that would not have been out of place at the ski-jumping in Vancouver, the manager Gary Johnson's son Lee securing only their third win in 20 games and with it preventing West Bromwich from returning to the automatic promotion places. Albion, who had previously lost just once away, looked set to climb above second-placed Nottingham Forest when the impressive Graham Dorrans rewarded their early ascendancy. It was bad enough for Albion's fans that City's equaliser came from a Wolves man, the on-loan Chris Iwelumo's 100th career goal, but it was rapidly followed by Johnson's first of the season. The manager had come under pressure as his side plummeted into the lower reaches of the table, but he insisted that the match-winner's identity did not enhance his satisfaction. "I got over that when Lee was in the under-nines," Johnson said. "I was just pleased with the fantastic move that led to his goal."
Guardian
Second-half goals from Chris Iwelumo and Lee Johnson gave Bristol City a hard-fought 2-1 victory against high-flying West Brom. Graham Dorrans put the Baggies on course to leapfrog Nottingham Forest into second place when he fired home his 13th goal of the season in the first half at Ashton Gate. But Iwelumo's first goal since arriving on loan from Albion's arch-rivals Wolves restored parity early in the second half and minutes later manager's son Johnson, who recently returned from a loan spell at Derby, turned the game on its head with his first goal of the season. The victory moved Gary Johnson's side back into the top half of the table and eased fears that they would get sucked into a relegation battle.
Sky Sports
Bristol City manager Gary Johnson praised a "terrific team effort" from his side as they lifted the pressure on him with a 2-1 win over title-chasing West Brom at Ashton Gate. Lee Johnson's 58th-minute winner was the perfect tonic for his team - and especially his under-fire dad. The City boss has been taking plenty of flak from unhappy supporters following a run of only two victories in 17 Coca-Cola Championship fixtures. And Johnson was delighted at his side's change of fortunes. "We needed a win over quality opposition to restore self-belief, and that's exactly what we got," he said.
Sporting Life
