West Brom extended their unbeaten Sky Bet Championship run to six matches as they signed off before the final international break of the season with a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Bristol City.

Tom Fellows netted his fifth goal of the year to fire Albion in front in the final minute of the first half, before Jed Wallace doubled the lead in the 50th minute when he routinely tapped in Conor Townsend’s cross.

Carlos Corberan’s team – without Andreas Weimann, who was ineligible to face his parent club – did not initially settle as well as City.

Cedric Kipre had to be alert to clear his lines after Tommy Conway produced a dangerous centre and West Brom were grateful that Mark Sykes did not do better with the rebound.

Mikey Johnston, who joined Albion on loan from Celtic in January, has six goals in as many league starts and he threatened to add to that tally shortly after the quarter-hour mark when he eased away from yellow shirts and bent a strike from the edge of the area just past Max O’Leary’s far post.

The Robins’ best opportunity of the opening half came when Anis Mehmeti flicked on a Haydon Roberts hooked clearance and Conway was sent racing clear with Okay Yokuslu for company. The forward shot low but Alex Palmer in the West Brom goal was equal to the effort.

Just as it appeared as though the first half would end goalless, Albion nosed themselves in front.

Winger Johnston again caused problems when cutting in from the left, teeing up Yokuslu, who in turn found Fellows on his right. The winger struck a powerful shot through a crowded area and it beat O’Leary at his near post.

The lead was doubled within five minutes of the restart, with the influential Johnston involved again. He fed left-back Townsend, who picked out the unmarked Wallace and the captain rolled the ball home to give Albion a cushion.

From there, Corberan’s outfit, fresh from scoring four at Huddersfield last Sunday, went immediately in search of more.

Yokuslu drove a first-time effort just past the post after O’Leary had denied Johnston and in the final 20 minutes the City goalkeeper was forced into action again when he denied Fellows, who found space on the right hand side.

City boss Liam Manning made a triple substitution which included the introduction of centre-forward Harry Cornick, who posed more of a challenge for opposing centre-halves Kipre and Kyle Bartley.

However, the Robins were wayward when Ross McCrorie and then Sykes were presented with openings, before Gardner-Hickman stung Palmer’s gloves.

The visitors could not find a breakthrough and Albion further cemented their place in the play-off places with three points and 16th clean sheet of the season.

Carlos Corberan hailed the impact of West Brom’s January recruitment drive as two new signings scored in his side’s 2-0 victory over Cardiff.

Winger Mikey Johnston, who arrived in the window on loan from Celtic, opened the scoring after just 30 seconds before Bristol City loanee Andreas Weimann emerged from the bench to secure the points in the 80th minute.

West Brom’s fifth win on the spin on home soil was significantly influenced by the new recruits, who have turned the heat up on Corberan’s pre-existing attacking options in competing for places – but that is something the Spaniard now relishes when selecting his team.

“It’s necessary to have these options,” Corberan said. “It’s something key, because if you don’t rotate the players, at the end you have more injuries.

“For us, as a club, it was necessary for us to add more attacking options, because we needed to increase the options we had. Right now, we’re using the players, because it’s necessary to have that impact from the bench.

“Our players now know that we have now good options. They believe in the team-mates they have. Our attacking players know that if they’re not at 100 per cent, we have others who will be. They understand it’s a strength we have and must use.

“It can never be a problem, to have two or three players competing in every position – now we have those alternatives.”

West Brom effectively began the match a goal ahead when Tom Fellows crossed for fellow winger Johnston, who stroked the ball home after just 30 seconds.

Cardiff tried to draw level prior to half-time, but Josh Wilson-Esbrand did not sufficiently worry Alex Palmer with his shot from distance.

Palmer would have been concerned, though, when Kion Etete met Aaron Ramsey’s header at the back post, and West Brom were thankful when the centre forward skewed his attempt over the bar from close range.

With it went the visitors’ most significant opening of the evening, and they were punished shortly afterwards when Jed Wallace collected a through-ball on the right and fired a cross in for Weimann to turn home.

For Cardiff manager Erol Bulut, there was only regret that his side did not take their one significant opportunity to equalise when the chance came their way.

“It’s difficult when you concede a goal in the first minute against West Brom, who are at home, with quality players,” he said.

“It’s not easy but we pushed really hard, especially in the second half, we had chances to score and make it 1-1, with Kion and with Ramsey.

“If you don’t score, it’s normal that at the end they get the second one, because we were pushing to get the second one.

“Opponents, when they get those chances they are scoring and we are not scoring. This is the difference. We have the chances, but we are not scoring.”

January signings Mikey Johnston and Andreas Weimann scored in either half as West Brom beat Cardiff 2-0 for a fifth straight Championship home win.

Johnston struck inside the first minute when he turned home Tom Fellows’ delivery from the right. In the 80th minute, Weimann scored his second goal in Albion colours when he rounded off a smart move involving his captain Jed Wallace.

It took West Brom all of 30 seconds to open the scoring. Darnell Furlong clipped the ball down the wing for Fellows and he was afforded the space to run at Jamilu Collins before pulling the ball back into the path of the onrushing Johnston who, on his full debut for the hosts, steered tidily beyond visiting goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.

The Hawthorns rose in the 12th minute to pay tribute with applause to stricken forward Daryl Dike. The United States international ruptured his Achilles in the 2-2 draw at Ipswich on Saturday and he is due for surgery and an extended period on the sidelines. Dike’s team-mates had worn T-shirts with his name and number on their backs while they were warming up before kick-off.

Despite the early setback, Cardiff were by no means deterred. Josh Wilson-Esbrand hit an admittedly hopeful shot tamely into Alex Palmer’s arms, before Nat Phillips caused problems from a David Turnbull free-kick and sparked panic before Albion hurried a clearance.

The hosts had an opening to double their advantage 25 minutes in, when the ball was worked down the left and Okay Yokuslu turned the ball into the path of midfield partner Alex Mowatt, but he could not keep his curling attempt beneath the crossbar.

While the score remained at one, Cardiff were always encouraged, yet there was little to report by way of second-half action until Kion Etete passed up a glaring opportunity to level for the visitors.

Wilson-Esbrand sent a deep cross to the back post, where the ball was cushioned down by Aaron Ramsey for Etete. From inside the six-yard box, he could only lift the ball over the bar.

While those Cardiff substitutes did not combine successfully, West Brom’s did. With 10 minutes remaining, Albion broke through Nathaniel Chalobah who set loose winger Wallace down the right. His cross was pinpoint for Weimann, who rolled the ball home to make the points secure.