West Bromwich Albion midfielder Craig Gardner has admitted that he and his teammates were desperate to beat Aston Villa to ease the pressure on manager Alan Irvine.

The Baggies recorded their first win in six matches as they defeated their local rivals courtesy of Gardner scoring the only goal of the game at The Hawthorns.

"It was nice to win because we've had some bad luck of late - but it was good to get it especially for the gaffer," Gardner told the club's official website.

"The whole changing room is behind the gaffer so it was great to get that victory.

"We've been working really hard on the training ground all week and it was rewarded. But we had a game plan. The gaffer explained to us at half-time what we'd need to do and it worked out."

Irvine's side are 14th in the Premier League table, with 17 points from their 16 games this season.