West Brom moved seven points clear at the top of the Championship table with yet another victory over a promotion rival, meaning their chances of clinching a return to the top-flight is looking more and more like a mere formality.

The Baggies defeated Preston North End 2-0 at the Hawthorns to make it five wins from six.

Hal Robson-Kanu continued his rich vein of goalscoring form with a superb finish in the sixth minute, chesting down Callum Robinson's cross before slamming it home past the visiting goalkeeper; skipper Jake Livermore nabbed the other on the stroke of half time with an exquisite half-volley any striker would be proud of.

It was also Albion's fourth clean sheet in the same aforementioned run, which has led to fans waxing lyrical about one of their defenders, Conor Townsend.

Here's what has been said...

The praise for the 26-year-old was neverending, so much so that first-choice left-back at the start of the season, Kieran Gibbs, has to be hugely worried about breaking back into the starting XI.

"Absolutely excellent," "outstanding," and "unreal" were just three phrases to highlight just how well Townsend played in the eyes of some supporters.

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Per SofaScore, the Englishman recorded one successful dribble, provided one accurate cross and managed two tackles.

Townsend has now started nine of the Baggies' last ten league games and also both their victories in the FA Cup, and many fans are starting to change their opinions on him...

One mentioned how he once described the defender as a "scapegoat" while another suggested he should eat humble pie as the player he slated every game is starting to show his quality now.

This a recurring them throughout the high acclaim with plenty more hailing his turnaround in form in recent weeks.

Quickfire Questions - Early title winners: Can you get all 13 right in 2 minutes?

And in other news, Kamil Grosicki issues two-word verdict on West Brom man...