Analysis: West Brom beginning to believe in promotion chances

But instead of putting faith in a newborn messiah or a bearded man in a red suit, Baggies fans are now starting to believe in 11 men decked out in stripes.

Because this away win at Rotherham United was yet another step on the road towards convincing supporters and onlookers alike that Albion are the real deal.

They got their goals, like they have done so often this season, scoring four or more for the sixth time already this term. That’s more than once every four league games.

It took them to 50 league goals in total at the halfway stage of the season and it doesn’t require a degree in mathematics to work out Darren Moore’s men are on course for the ton.

Plenty of Baggies will be dreaming of a Dwight Christmas after watching their star striker’s stunning hat-trick.

But it was the second clean sheet of the season, despite its arguably fortuitous circumstance, that will convince the packed-out away end at the New York Stadium more than anything else.

Albion have been threatening another shut-out for a while.

They have conceded just one goal in seven of the previous eight games and that goal came late on from Leeds, Ipswich and Brentford.

Yes, they had to rely on Ryan Manning hitting the post from the penalty spot and, yes, the same player rattled the woodwork in the first half. Albion also cleared two off the line.

But Ahmed Hegazi and Craig Dawson are developing into the sort of centre-back pairing that wins promotion.

They are no longer shackled with playmaking duties, especially now Gareth Barry is lying in that deep quarterback role, sashaying elegantly through games like a veteran ballet dancer who is still remarkably lithe and shows up the emerging proteges.

That, in turn, allows the defenders to focus on defending. Unsurprisingly, it is bearing fruit.

Dawson was once described by former goalkeeper Ben Foster as a ‘sicko’, a player hewn from the rock of the northern non-league scene and therefore one not burdened with the pain threshold of a normal human being.

Both he and Hegazi, who has been one of the most consistent performers on this run, headed and kicked everything that came their way in Rotherham.

Paul Warne’s men were slinging in good deliveries, dangerous deliveries, the sort that would have caused havoc just eight weeks ago.

But the Baggies are a different prospect at the back these days.

That blossoming partnership bodes just as well for the second half of the season as the two flourishing loan stars up front.

Harvey Barnes should see out his season-long loan, provided Leicester’s victory over Chelsea saves Claude Puel from the bullet. A new manager at the King Power Stadium and all bets are off.

But the good news is that Gayle, Albion’s happy coincidence, the striker they stumbled upon and then fell head over heels for, is definitely here for the season.

And now even he’s flirting with the idea of making this holiday romance a bit more Facebook official.

It’s hard to pick between his first two goals. The free-kick, which he won himself with a piece of brilliance, was then brilliantly inventive, and executed perfectly.

Regardless of his reputation, quality like that does not belong in the second tier.

But his second, a stooping header at the near post in amongst the boots was just as pleasing.

His third was an early Christmas present from Marek Rodak, but if you want one person for that ball to fall to, it’s Gayle.

Not since Odemwingie, Phillips, or Hughes, have Albion had such a natural goalscorer.

Rotherham did not deserve to lose this match 4-0, and on another day might have given the Baggies a bit more of a scare.

Warne shrugged his shoulders afterwards. “I don’t think we could have played any better,” he said.

Earlier in the season, that would have been enough to beat this Albion team, or at least run them close.

But the Baggies are looking stronger and stronger each week.

They’re starting to look like a Premier League side in the Championship, whereas last season, they looked like a Championship side in the Premier League.

The juggernaut is now up and running, and following Moore’s successful switch to a back four, this side is looking ever more ominous.

Five wins and two draws in their last seven games has kept them within touching distance of the top two and lifted them ever so slightly above the pack of piranhas circling below.

With three more inviting fixtures to come in this Christmas schedule, the Baggies are threatening to capitalise on this form.

Winning the game in the first half allowed Moore to rest some legs.

The veteran ballet dancer was removed after less than an hour, and Matt Phillips, that crucial dynamo in midfield, was also taken off.

Having Hal Robson-Kanu and James Morrison – two catalysts of this run before they fell injured – back in the thick of the action is a huge boost ahead of a busy period.

The starting XI has always had its strengths, but now their is genuine competition for places too.

At the half-way stage of the season, Albion are beginning to convince. Their supporters should begin to believe.