WBA's bid stays on track

West Bromwich - West Bromwich Albion boosted their bid for Premier League survival as Saido Berahino's goal sealed a vital 1-0 win against West Ham on Saturday.

Berahino's first half strike gave Pepe Mel's side their first victory on home turf at the Hawthorns since the Spaniard took over from the sacked Steve Clarke in January.

Baggies goalkeeper Ben Foster clawed away an Andy Carroll header in the 19th minute and the Hammers striker also had another headed effort hit the woodwork in the second half.

But the hosts hung on for a vital win that takes them five points clear of the relegation zone with three games to play.

The Hammers, meanwhile, are six points above the bottom three but may not be entirely at ease after their fourth consecutive defeat.

Albion were ahead against the run of play in the 11th minute as Stephane Sessegnon burst forward and slid the ball to Morgan Amalfitano, who had plenty of time and space on the right of the box to tee-up Berahino to finish.

The England Under-21 international was just inches from the line as he prodded the ball over for his ninth West Brom goal of the season, in his first start in eight games.

West Ham continued to push forward, with Carroll seeing a volley take a deflection and cleared behind, before bringing a great diving save out of Foster with a firm header from Mohamed Diame's cross.

Albion were back on the attack as Sessegnon and Graham Dorrans broke forward, but the latter could only fire wide from the edge of the area.

They enjoyed a spell of pressure after the interval, with Sessegnon twisting and turning before striking into the side netting, Adrian getting down to save Billy Jones' low shot and Dorrans dragging an attempt wide.

West Brom were almost left to rue those missed opportunities when Carroll met a corner and powered a header against the crossbar.

With the last two home games for Albion ending up as 3-3 draws, due to the concession of late equalisers, Baggies fans were taking nothing for granted in the closing stages.

But they were celebrating come the final whistle and their top-flight safety should soon be sealed as well.