By Steve Wollaston

Copyright birminghammail

West Brom head coach Ryan Mason admitted his side had needed to ride their luck as they got back to winning ways with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Norwich. The Baggies were on the back foot for long periods but, with goalkeeper Josh Griffiths leading the way, they held firm under intense pressure to record a first win in four in the Championship. Mason recalled striker Josh Maja to his starting line-up for the first time this season and he duly repaid him with the goal which clinched all three points at Carrow Road on Wednesday night. “There was an element of luck about the result, but we had to produce the moments. I’m a big believer that, over the course of a season, if you believe in something and perform a certain way you’ll get results like this where you earn victories,’’ said Mason. “We are delighted with the three points but we had to suffer for it. We were up against a good side and I think luck was with us at times. “I’m sure their bench is probably sat there thinking they deserved more from the game because I thought they played a good game and they caused us problems, but that’s football. “The football gods were with us but I don’t think you get that without a togetherness, a fight and a real willingness to put bodies on the line. “It’s a difficult place to come. I know their results haven’t been great here but I’ve watched all the games and they’re a really good side and we felt that. I’m super-proud of the boys for the effort and the performance they put in. “We need to enjoy this because we had a real sickener on Friday night where we played a really good match and we should have won, but we didn’t. We were pegged back by a sucker punch in the 93rd minute (a 1-1 home draw with Leicester). That probably flipped a little bit here where, in the second period, we conceded some chances. Ultimately, we got over the line and we have to be pleased with that. “I’m super-happy for Josh Maja to score the goal. He’s worked very hard and we’ve been patient with him. We believed that was the right thing to do because of the time he had out, but, at the same time, we know he can affect games of football. I think that will do him the world of good and give him lots of confidence. “Josh Griffiths stepped up and had some massive moments towards the end of the match. I think that will do him the world of good. It was a real big performance from him. He really stood up for us and helped us get the three points. “I’m really pleased with the start we’ve made on the road. We’ve had some good results so far. I thought the fans were amazing. They’ve travelled all this way in midweek and they got behind the lads. It’s really impressive and it certainly helps us win the game of football.” The Canaries dominated for long periods but Griffiths made a string of fine saves to keep them out. The pick of the bunch came in the closing stages when he somehow managed to tip Jovon Makama’s close-range header around the post – and he also thwarted Ante Crnac minutes later when the unmarked Croatian looked certain to score. Norwich have now lost all five of their home games this season, with four of those coming in the Championship, and head coach Liam Manning could understand the jeers at the final whistle. “We are in a results business and not winning at home is not good enough. It’s not a record anyone would want,” he said. “But this was a much better performance – they had one shot all night and we created a lot of chances but unfortunately were unable to take them. We lacked a bit of quality in and around the box at times and their keeper made some good saves.”