Anyone seeking a reason to be hopeful about Irish football in 2023 need only look to the British west midlands and specifically The Hawthorns.
Jayson Molumby is finally delivering on the promise that made him one of the most hyped young Irish footballers of the past ten years.
This peak in form mirrors that of his club. West Brom have experienced a dramatic surge since Carlos Corberán replaced Steve Bruce as club manager in the autumn. After the calamitous start to the season, West Brom now find themselves a point off the playoffs on the maddeningly logjammed Championship table.
Jayson Molumby: Man of the Match vs Reading
On Monday evening, West Brom beat fellow promotion-chasers Reading 1-0. It was West Brom's eighth win in nine games. It might have been Molumby's best game for the club.
He was tireless in the midfield, unlucky not to open the scoring and ended up set up the winning goal from Daryl Dike with an exquisite cross.
⚽️ West Bromwich 1-0 Reading FC
GOAL | 60' Darly Dike ⚽️
📝 Send Like ve RT for more audience !
📢⚡️ Follow @JumboSportsTV ! pic.twitter.com/f5fqkL4TZr— Follow @JumboSportsTV for live streams (@hotgoalsv71) January 2, 2023
After the match, Molumby was voted Man of the Match and feted with praise on social media by supporters of the club. It appears many have experienced a change of heart in regards to Molumby and many now see his £900k contract as some of the best business the club has done in recent years.
Molumby was excellent today.
Seemed to be everywhere on the pitch when we didn't have the ball; applying pressure, tackling, and breaking up attacks.
With the ball, very disciplined in his positioning, secure in his passing and a threat down the right.#WBA pic.twitter.com/fVE21IvDmx— Albion Analytics (@AnalyticsWba) January 2, 2023
Our midfield duo of Okay Yokuslu and Jayson Molumby are absolutely phenomenal.
I need to eat that humble pie because when we signed Molumby I thought it was a waste of money, how wrong I was.— Ryan (@RyanPGlasgow) January 2, 2023
I think every single one of us was underwhelmed when we signed Jayson Molumby but he’s been phenomenal under CC. He’s a couple goals and assists a season away from being a top player #WBA
— Bassline FC (@Rollsie7) January 2, 2023
Huge shout out to Molumby. He's getting better game after game. Honestly he's been absolutely brillaint under CC. He loves the club you can tell how he plays he proper cares. Another massive 3 points. #WBA
— DOOD (@DoodWBA) January 2, 2023
Joe Chapman of the Birmingham Mail gave Molumby a 9 in his player ratings and did not hold back in his praise. Here's what he wrote:
Magnificent. As strong a hand as Lumley produced to deny him, he really should have put Albion in front when bursting into the box to meet Swift's lay-off. Outstanding battling qualities displayed to win the ball before he then fired in an excellent cross from the right for Dike's goal.
Speaking to West Brom's social media after the match, Molumby sounded incredibly grounded and motivated to push on.
One moment seemed to really resonate for Baggies supporters last night: when Molumby outjumped six foot four Andy Carroll for a header.
Jayson Molumby has just won a header against Andy Carroll
What a man! #Baggies— Jonny Drury (@JonnyDrury_Star) January 2, 2023
Molumby isn't the only young Irish star in the West Brom team. Dara O'Shea has been beyond solid in the centre of defense and earned himself an 8 in Chapman's player ratings for negating the aerial threat of Andy Carroll.
The Republic of Ireland will face some steep challenges in Euro 2024 qualifying, but with Molumby in flying form and Josh Cullen's Burnley sitting comfortably atop the Championship, there's plenty of reasons to think the Irish midfield will prove a formidable test for any country it faces.
