Albion’s fans have been praised for their support – by the man who wanted them to turn against their team.

Tony Mowbray planned to play on promotion nerves among the home ranks in the quest for a precious Blackburn win.

The Rovers boss felt his side made life tough for the hosts at the Amex on Saturday.

But he spoke, without prompting, about the support Albion received from the stands during their more testing times.

There were nerves among home fans at times but uneasy periods did not last long and Mowbray, pictured below, noticed it.

The Argus:

He said: “I think we made life difficult for them. They have got some very good players and they are in the top end of the table, rightly so.

“They have got a fantastic stadium, fantastic atmosphere.

“I thought their supporters lifted them when they needed to in that 20 minutes into the second half. They felt the urgency.

“Our supporters at Ewood have done the same. When you need a goal and your team is struggling a little bit to get going, you need your fans to pick you up and I think they did that.”

Albion are still some way from securing promotion but Mowbray, who went up in charge of West Brom, expects them to get there.

He said: “Eighty points is not enough for automatic promotion but I think 90 is.

“They have got to keep going. They have got to win some football matches and they will.

“They have just got to keep doing what they do.

“It’s what, a nine-point gap? I’m sure Huddersfield will win four or five so Brighton have to win another three or whatever it is.

“They will get there in the end. You can’t look too far ahead.

“I’ve been in this league, I’ve won this league. You have to knock them down one game at a time. That is why it was a massive three points for them.”