West Bromwich Albion 2 Portsmouth 1

You only needed to look at the quality of the players omitted from Bryan Robson's 16-man squad to realise how much life has changed in the past year for West Bromwich Albion.

Junichi Inamoto and Nwankwo Kanu were just two international players to suffer from the squad rotation that will become the key to Albion's survival in the Premiership this season.

Another key will be the form of Geoff Horsfield, the former Birmingham City striker, whose two goals and superlative display ensured a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth that was more difficult in actuality than it was in prospect.

Even Robson, the Albion manager, resisted the temptation to smile. "Geoff was terrific and there were some good things but we were too rash at 2-0 up and we let Pompey back in the game," he said.

"When we went further ahead that was the chance to defend and pass the ball around but we didn't do that and we started giving away too many stupid free-kicks. We had spoken all week about Laurent Robert and how he would get it right somewhere along the line and that was poor by us."

And so it proved. After Horsfield had revealed the full range of his striking attributes - one goal with his head, the other with his left foot - he watched with surprise at how a poor Portsmouth team somehow gave themselves a chance of securing a point.

Robert pulled a goal back from a direct free kick in the 63rd minute and Albion spent the final 27 minutes trying to keep their lead when really they should have been trying to provide Horsfield with a chance to complete a hat-trick.

But Horsfield knows he has to play well, for on the substitutes' bench were Robert Earnshaw, Diomansy Kamara and Nathan Ellington. Earnshaw was the only one to emerge, late on in place of Steve Watson, and he missed the chance from close range to make the final stages more comfortable.

Still, four points from two matches gives the impression that Albion have more chance of fighting for a European position than of trying to maintain their Premiership status.

"When you have got a bench like that you know you have got a lot of pace and a lot of goals, so when they start getting sharper and match-fit we will have a bigger goal threat this year," Robson said.

"Earnie had a great chance towards the end and so did they and that is what happens when you get a bit anxious. But we got away with and, overall, I still felt we deserved to win the game."

And so they did, although the expected avalanche never materialised. Horsfield put Albion in front inside 90 seconds when he rose at the far post to head home a cross by Jonathan Greening.

It was a goal that summed up Albion's first-half display, with Greening dominant on the left flank, Horsfield consistently involved, and Andy Johnson working well in the centre of midfield alongside Ronnie Wallwork.

Perhaps Zoltan Gera looked jaded after his international exertions for Hungary in midweek, and Greening did fade in the second half, but generally this was an Albion team that seemed in control and unlikely to press the selfdestruct button.

The second goal, just before the hour mark, was inevitable. Horsfield gathered Gera's pass on the right of the 18-yard box before turning Gregory Vignal and hitting a low shot that Sander Westerveld, the Portsmouth goalkeeper, fumbled over the goal line.

For the most part, Portsmouth were awful and it will have worried Robson that Albion did not take greater advantage. When Robert, hitherto anonymous, pulled a goal back with a fine free kick from 23 yards, it was the prelude to a spell of nervousness.

Portsmouth fashioned some chances late on, most notably when substitute Giannis Skopelitis found himself clear at the far post in the final minute, only to strike the ball over the crossbar.

Despite the protestations of their manager, Alain Perrin, Portsmouth did not deserve a point.

Afterwards, however, the prevailing emotion was one of relief rather than celebration. Yes, Albion secured the three points; yes, they are above Aston Villa and Birmingham City in the Premiership table; yes, auguries are good.

But this confirmed that no matter how strong your squad, and no matter the quality of the players left out of the 16-man squad, it will take hard work for Albion to prove that they are of Premiership stock.