West Brom away. What was the score? Lost 4-2 Up at 6am this morning I watched the game online bleary eyed. This potentially was the toughest game of the season, particularly with the restrictions Pardew had on selection.

West Brom are the countries top goalscorers and today some of their movement, passing and crossing, especially their crossing was excellent and the best team won no doubt.

However we worked very hard for 15-20 minutes to get back to 2-2 and at that stage I thought we would walk away with a valuable point, however our defence is so fragile that those remaining minutes were always likely to be frantic unless we had the wherewithal to close the game out. We didn't.

Taking nothing away from Brunt or Gera, they are fine players who played to our weaknesses and poor old Sir Chris was definitely that. I know we have umpteen left backs injured but surely there must be someone else that can give Powell a rest. Yes he still reads the game well, but he no longer has the stamina or the speed of thought to compete consistently at this level and alongside Bougherra, who I knew little of before we signed him, and almost a year later, I still can't work him out, our defence with Semedo out of position was not for the first time our achilles heal.

The middle five looked out of sorts too, with Ambrose again reporting missing out wide and ZZ having a disappointing afternoon. I wished we could have got Thomas more involved, he had their right back in his pocket but he faded as he often can.

There were some positives though. Namely that despite being second best, we played our part in an entertaining game, and were just 10 minutes from snatching a point. I'm pleased for McLeod, who got his first goal and looked lively alongside Varney, who had another decent spell as sub, surely he deserves a starting berth, perhaps now with Big Chris injured?

Defensive frailties exist and we have further injury worries but West Brom are head and shoulders above most, if not all the teams in this division. The transfer window opens not long after the final advent calendar one, so let's move on, we can play better and will.

Who was on the The Hawthorns: Addicks Championship Diary.
Reports: About a Ball; Sky Sports; Kent Online; Sporting Life; Daily Mail; cafc.co.uk; Baggies.com.
What Pards' said: "Zoltan Gera scored with two identical headers and though I don't like criticising my players in public, I'm bound to say that Chris Powell will be disapointed he didn't do better in the challenges."
A bottle of fizzy pop for: Izale McLeod. If he can add confidence to pace, then perhaps he will survive the Sparrows Lane swing door in January.  ¶ 20:59