Darnell Furlong insists Saturday’s brilliant performance at Preston North End provided proof the players are capable of hitting such high levels in the Sky Bet Championship this season.
The Baggies delivered a complete display at Deepdale, scoring four unanswered goals against a side who were unbeaten in league and boasted a 100 per cent record on home soil ahead of the weekend’s encounter.
Furlong’s fierce strike, his first of the 2023/24 season, set the tone for the afternoon, with Carlos Corberán’s men looking dangerous and creative in attack, while remaining resolute and courageous at the back.
The defender believes it was a showing which made it clear how much camaraderie there is in the group, but Darnell also stressed just how crucial it is to follow the Preston result up with another positive one at The Hawthorns when Sheffield Wednesday come to town on Tuesday night (ko 8pm).
He said: “We’re delighted with the performance on Saturday. I don’t think as a team we’ve been happy with our performances so far, in terms of how we’ve played.
“We have previously got points where we have needed to, but on Saturday it all came together. The performance, the goals, everything. It showed what we are capable of.
“We went to Preston and we knew the run they were on, the form they were in. They had done a brilliant job so far, but that didn’t change anything in terms of how we felt about the game.
“We went there knowing we could beat them, and that’s exactly what we did.
“There’s a great camaraderie in the team. No one is frustrated about where they are playing, or anything like that. Everyone just pulls on the shirt, goes out there and wants to work for their team-mates. That’s a real great character to have among the squad.
“There are no excuses from us. We always try and grasp what the manager wants. As players, we do the best we can. The manager does the best he can.
“Maybe it hasn’t come together perfectly with performances this season, but Saturday it did. Hopefully that’s something to build on.
“Message (to the rest of the league) or not, it just proves what we thought we could do – and what we’ve known we can do since the start of the season.
“We don’t really care what other people think of us. We know we are capable of that in every game, so we’ll just try and build on it.
“We’ve just put in a great performance and won 4-0. And the first shout from all the boys is ‘get ready to go Tuesday’. As I said, there’s a great camaraderie and belief in the squad.
“We are footballers, we want to play games and - while it’s a gruelling schedule at times – the staff do everything they can to prepare us right, and we’ll be ready to go again.”
