DAMIEN Johnson and Kenny Cooper made their debuts in Saturday's 1-0 defeat by West Bromwich Albion, with head coach Paul Mariner pleased with their contributuion to a spirited team performance.

"He did fine, considering [what] his situation at Birmingham [has been]," said Paul on Northern Ireland international midflder Damien.

"He's not been playing 90 minutes and, on that field, you're playing a game-and-a-half - it's sapping, to say the least."

USA forward Kenny came off the substitutes' bench as a replacement Rory Fallon for the last third of the game.

Paul said: "The reason behind Kenny not starting is Rory's been doing exceptionally well.

"Rory's put in a lot of hours for us and been a battering ram. Kenny's played in the States and in Munich, but the Championship is a unique league.

"I wanted him to have a look at it close-up to see what he was getting into."