Lewis Dunk wants Albion to finish the season strongly after rediscovering the winning feeling against Aston Villa.
Joao’s late header, after he’d seen his penalty saved by Robin Olsen, earned Albion a narrow but deserved 1-0 win at the Amex to move them up to 11th in the table.
The skipper revealed that the squad had changed their training routine to incorporate some team bonding and saw it pay off.
“We have missed this feeling," said Dunnk. "It’s been a long time and we’ve not been good enough in recent weeks. It’s been a tough period, but we have stuck together.
“This week we have done a few different things with some team building away from the training ground to get the spirit back and thankfully it paid off. Now we want to finish the season strongly and hopefully get into the top half and this win puts us on the right track.
“Our defensive game plan worked perfectly. Everyone worked their socks off and that’s what it takes to win a game in the Premier League.”
The penalty had been won by player of the match Simon Adingra, and Dunk predicts a bright future for the Ivorian.
“Simon is still young and has a lot to learn, but you can see his progress since the start of the season to now and he will only keep getting better. What a player we will have if he can keep performing like that.”
Adingra insisted that Albion’s team spirit remained good despite some disappointing performances before today.
“We have had some difficult moments, but we got back on track today. The manager told us to do our best in front of our fans and we did it.
“I’m in a good place to develop and my captain and teammates help me a lot. We have a good squad. Contending with the injuries has not been easy but the team spirit is strong.”