West Bromwich Albion midfielder Craig Gardner has praised under-fire manager Alan Irvine after they secured a 1-0 win against Aston Villa in Saturday's Premier League derby at The Hawthorns.
The former Villa man struck Albion's winner in the 72nd minute to claim three valuable points for the struggling Black Country outfit against their local rivals.
Gardner told BBC Sport after the game: "It was a great team performance and to be fair to Villa they played well. The gaffer was brilliant at half-time and told us what to do. I'm delighted for him because he's taken a bit of flak.
"But it was a great all-round team performance. We had a game plan and stuck to it. This game could not have come at a better time for us."
West Brom have climbed to 14th in the Premier League table following a first victory in six games.
