Kieran Gibbs has admitted that he felt lucky to be involved in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Bristol City, with the West Brom defender scoring the opening goal of the night.
Speaking to the Baggies official website, the former Arsenal defender confessed that given the quality of the squad and the recent run of form the side have been on in recent months that he was unsure whether he will be brought back into the team after being out since August as reported by The Express and Star.
Yet despite fears that Bilic will keep with his tried and tested XI that has seen West Brom embark on an eight-game unbeaten run, Gibbs was drafted back in at left-back, and made an instant impact as the former Arsenal defender scored the first goal of the evening with a neat finish from close-range.
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Gibbs said about his return to the Baggies side: “It was a long time waiting for me actually. I didn’t realise I had been out for so long. It is always nice to be back out on the field with the boys. To be honest, it’s tough to get in this team at the moment because everyone that has performed so far this season has really done themselves justice.”
The former England international added with: “I have to take every opportunity that I get because that is how it is with this team at the moment. With the quality and the hunger that the manager has got around the dressing room, I feel lucky to have even got a game tonight.”
With the result sending West Brom back to the top of the Championship table, Gibbs’ contribution to the side was an important one that won’t be forgotten by supporters anytime soon, and Bilic’s judgement to put the defender back in the XI despite a hefty amount of time off due to injury paid off massively for the Croatian manager.
