Slaven Bilic has given credit to Charlie Austin after the Baggies' 2-0 home win over Preston North End on Tuesday night.

The 30-year-old has endured a turbulent spell at the Hawthorns since joining from Southampton in the summer, scoring nine goals in a total of 29 appearances for the Baggies.

Austin has fallen behind Hal Robson-Kanu in the pecking order of late, with the latter scoring three goals in his last two games to take his tally up to 10 goals for the season.

On Tuesday night, Austin - who has made only start since Boxing Day - was brought on for only the final 10 minutes of the encounter, and he was superbly denied by Declan Rudd in the dying embers of the contest.

But the striker's wait for a second goal since December continued, as he cut a frustrated figure whilst walking down the tunnel at half-time.

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Speaking in his post-match press conference, Bilic praised Austin, appreciating that a striker of his experience and calibre will get frustrated at his lack of game-time.

Via Birmingham Live, he said: "It’s about the team. It’s about the team, I’m not above the team. To be fair, I’ve been delighted with Charlie.

"You don’t hear Charlie in the dressing room before the game, after the game - he is magnificent to us. He’s working hard, and at the end of the day he played. It’s good to have the players who want to play more minutes.

"It’s competition at the moment, Hal is doing great for us. It’s my job to look after the team. You can’t please everybody, but with Charlie to be fair I wanted to say it a few times before - his attitude has been and is spot on."

Goals from Robson-Kanu and Livermore helped Albion move 10 points clear of third with a 2-0 victory over North End, ahead of the rest of tonight's Championship fixtures.

The Verdict

Things just haven't worked out for Austin since joining from Southampton in the summer, and frankly, he doesn't deserve a place in the team right now.

Robson-Kanu is a player who divides opinions on a weekly basis, but right now, his place in Bilic's side is justified.

Whilst the likes of Austin and Kenneth Zohore have flattered to deceive, Robson-Kanu is rewarding Bilic for his faith in him.