West Bromwich Albion defender Billy Jones has backed captain Chris Brunt to prove his critics wrong after he was jeered at by a selection of the club's supporters during his side's defeat to Fulham.

The 28-year-old was the subject of ironic cheers when he was substituted in the second half of the Baggies' 2-1 loss to Fulham at The Hawthorns on New Year's Day.

"I don't understand why they did that," Goal.com quotes Jones as saying. "You can tell that Brunt, the same as a lot of us, misplaced some passes, but the effort was still there," Jones told reporters.

"He was challenging and working hard. It was one of those days for us ­individually and as a team, we know that and we'll learn from that. But Brunt's a great player, he has been in the past and still is now. He's a massive part of the starting XI and the squad."

After a strong start to their Premier League campaign, West Brom now find themselves seventh in the league table following the Christmas period.