Albion treat fans to a five-try home victory
There were probably many of the home faithful who turned up at Brickfields on Saturday worried they may see a horror show, with Albion having lost their previous three matches and second-placed Nottingham having won their previous seven.
But Albion's players answered some of their doubters by totally outplaying Nottingham and running in five tries.
They could have scored more than five, such was their dominance, particularly up front.
It was frightening how easily Albion totally destroyed the Nottingham pack in the scrum.
Time after time, Nottingham were shoved back by Albion.
But while Albion's forwards did the real damage, it was their backs who finished off their Midlands visitors.
Four of the home side's five tries came from backs, with Keni Fisilau, Ben Mercer, Ruairi Cushion and Kieran Hallett touching down.
Flanker Sean-Michael Stephen added Albion's other touch down following a great break by fly-half Alex Davies.
It was a thoroughly impressive all-round team performance, just like Albion had produced against the Cornish Pirates last month.
However, Albion failed to build on that performance and victory against the Pirates, so the pressure is on the players to keep the form they showed against Nottingham going for this Saturday's visit of fellow high-fliers Bristol.
Although Albion did dominate Saturday's match, there were a few scary moments near the end after Nottingham scored a 74th minute try to close to within six points.
A lot of legs were twitching with nerves in the main stand as Nottingham threw everything at Albion to try and sneak the victory they did not really deserve.
The Midlands side had not won seven straight matches without having plenty of spirit.
But, despite a few heart-stopping moments – particularly when Nottingham winger Tim Streather broke through in injury-time only to by stopped by a last-gasp tackle and when the visitors got a five-metre line-out with only seconds to go only for Albion to steal it – Graham Dawe's side hung on for a valuable five points that now leaves them just one point off the promotion play-offs.
Dawe, who turned 50 at the start of September and who had not played since nearly breaking his neck in April, even made a cameo appearance in the dying minutes to help his team close out the win.
The Albion boss was added to the bench after a hooking injury crisis that had left the club without a fully fit specialist number two.
In the end James Owen, who had not played for three weeks due to an elbow injury, agreed to start the game, despite not being 100 per cent fit.
He managed to last 45 minutes before prop Danny Porte came on to have a go at hooker before Dawe then entered the fray with just over five minutes to go.
Owen's determination summed up Albion on Saturday. All the players seemed intent on proving a point after some disappointing displays.
Albion could have had two tries before they did finally open the scoring on 18 minutes when Fisilau, who again impressed alongside fellow Tongan Sione Tu'ipulotu in the centre, dived over for his first try of the season.
Hallett added the conversion to make it 7-0.
Nottingham, who had seen three of their loan players recalled by Leicester in midweek, hit back with a penalty by Tim Taylor.
But Albion responded with a really impressive try finished off in the right corner by winger Mercer but which had started with a great interchange between Fisilau and Tu'ipulotu. Hallett's conversion unfortunately bounced off the post, but Albion were still 12-3 up.
The home side, with flankers Stephen and Rory Watts-Jones working overtime, nearly scored a third try straight from the restart but despite four minutes camped on the Nottingham line they could not get over the whitewash.
The visitors came close at the other end on 32 minutes when Streather was just pushed into touch before he was able to touch down in the left corner.
Four minutes later Nottingham reduced the gap to six points with another Taylor penalty. But that was all they had to show for a first half where they were totally second best.
And in first half injury-time Albion added a third try after some great scrummaging by their pack, who were immense on the day.
Albion pushed Nottingham off a scrum on their own line after Tu'ipulotu had come within inches of scoring.
The home side were rewarded with a scrum of their own from which they shoved Nottingham back and Irish scrum-half Cushion was on hand to score his first try in Albion colours and make it 17-6 at the break.
Nottingham, who strangely had been allowed to wear the same colour shorts and socks as Albion, came out better after the interval and they scored a try within three minutes when Ben Johnston went over from 25 metres. Taylor converted to make it 17-13.
But straight away, Albion went up the other end and camped on the visitors' line. Chance after chance went their way before Davies made a crucial break and he produced a great reverse pass to flanker Stephen, who ran in under the posts. Hallett added the conversion to make it 24-13.
Yet back came Nottingham, who scored a second try through hooker Greg Sammons, which Taylor converted.
However, in a nip-and-tuck second half, Albion hit straight back with Hallett going over on the right after some good passing. He also converted his try to make it 31-20.
Six minutes from time, though, Nottingham, who had lost backs David Jackson, Johnston and Rohaan Nirmalendran with injuries, scored a third try through the dangerous Streather to make 31-25.
The same player also got through again four minutes into injury-time, but he was stopped 20 metres out by a last-gasp tackle.
In the dying seconds Nottingham got a penalty and went for the corner.
However, much to Albion supporters' relief, Stephen stole the line-out and the home side managed to hang on.
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