Bednar and former West Brom star Zoltan Gera after the game at the Hawthorns

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Tony Mowbray was swift to praise the work ethic of matchwinner Roman Bednar after his scrambled goal gave West Bromwich Albion a 1-0 victory over Fulham.

The former Hearts striker bundled the ball home from close range to give the Baggies a vital three points.

He could easily have had a hat-trick, hitting the bar with a tremendous 30-yard shot while being denied by Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer on several other occasions.

But the big frontman's performance delighted Mowbray who was particularly pleased with the Czech's attitude.

"He's a Trojan really. He works extra hard. He is desperate to score goals in the Premier League; he wants to show he is a Premier League player and he is eager to keep it going.

"Roman's hungry for goals. He was a bit disappointed earlier in the season to be sat behind me on the bench and not starting games but he's had his chance and he's done exceptionally well."

Struggled

Albion could easily have beaten Fulham by more than the single goal after an impressive second-half display but the hosts had struggled to get a grip on the contest in a scrappy first period.

And Mowbray admitted he had to change a few things at the interval.

"They (Fulham) gave us plenty of problems in the first half without really creating any clear-cut openings," said the Baggies boss.

"They had a few shots from 25 yards or so but they have some good footballers, the striker dropping off gave us problems - Clint Dempsey - but we stopped giving him time on the ball.

"We made a few adjustments at half-time and credit to the players they did fantastically well and created lots of chances after the break."

Mowbray can now look forward to a trip to Old Trafford in a fortnight and the Albion chief believes they can continue to compete in the top flight.

"We're going in the right direction. You are never sure exactly how much quality you will face week in week out. We are giving a good account of ourselves but we have to give the maximum every single week."