Massive week for Albion starts with the league leaders at the Hawthorns

West Bromwich Albion v Coventry City; The Hawthorns, Saturday 21st February 2026, 12.30pm

Saturday’s visit from the league leaders is the first match of a massive three-game week for Albion as they seek to pull away from the relegation zone. The match against Frank Lampard’s team could be considered of something of a free hit given their position in the table, but it is swiftly following by matches against two of the Baggies’ relegation rivals, results which could prove crucial come the end of the season.

Last weekend, many considered that it might be a good time to play Coventry City given that they had, since Boxing Day, squandered an eight point lead over second-placed Middlesbrough. However, the Sky Blues regained top spot by beating Boro’ 3-1 on Monday evening ending a run of three games without a win. Albion, of course, are on a run of eight league games without a victory while Eric Ramsay will be in charge of the team for the eighth time this weekend in all competitions, and is yet to taste victory.

Last weekend’s FA Cup defeat at Norwich City sent many Albion fans into despair once again, having previously been encouraged by the goalless draws against Stoke City and Birmingham City. Much as I love the FA Cup and mourn the fact that its importance is much reduced, I’m not too disappointed to be out of the competition this season, and could see some positives to take from the game itself.

Firstly, the two late goals were, in my opinion, largely down to the withdrawal of Krystian Bielik due to cramp leaving the defence somewhat disorganised with two makeshift centre backs in Taylor and Diakité. The clean sheets that Albion had earned in the two previous games were demonstrative of the improvements made in that area of the pitch, and with the likely return of Nat Phillips and George Campbell to the squad for the coming week, I’m bullish that those performances can be maintained.

Eric Ramsay’s next issue to tackle is, of course, at the opposite end of the field. It is not a new problem – Albion have been struggling to score goals pretty much since they dropped out of the Premier League in 2021 and a succession of head coaches have been unable to coax consistency from any of the Baggies’ attacking players.

Josh Maja, who was probably the last striker to show a goalscoring threat over several months in the first half of last season, put in one of his best performances for some time at Carrow Road, scoring with a delightful chipped finish to square the game in the second half. However, I would still expect Aune Heggebø to return to the starting line up on Saturday – the Norwegian’s work rate and hold up play has been generally very good and, given the right service, he is a decent goalscorer.

Providing that service has, of course, been one of Albion’s key issues this season. In the reverse fixture in November, Mikey Johnston provided two first half assists for Heggebø before the hosts came back after the break to take all three points. However, the Irish international has looked a little out of sorts recently and, while he still tops the Championship assists table with nine, he hasn’t registered one since the Baggies last victory against QPR at the end of last year. Ramsay does have some other options following the arrival of Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba and Hindolo Mustapha on loan, and both have shown promise in their performances so far. Furthermore, a fit Jed Wallace is another useful weapon that was denied to Ryan Mason for much of his tenure, while Isaac Price remains a undoubtedly talented player who is struggling to impact games as much as he would want to.

Despite what the popular opinion might be amongst many supporters, there have been small signs of progress on all aspects in the last few games, albeit Ramsay’s first victory remains elusive. The excellent tactical analysis from Jack Patterson on SubStack explains this better than I could, with the press being a key tool that Albion could employ. It’s not in my nature to complement our Black Country neighbours, but Wolves’ ability to crowd out Arsenal’s forward players in the second half at Molineux on Wednesday evening was a key reason for keeping the title hopefuls from extending their lead, ultimately allowing the hosts to grab a late equaliser.

Of course, while a tactical analysis can point to improvements, the only improvements that matter are in results and, more specifically, victories. A win on Saturday may feel a little ambitious, albeit Albion do tend to perform better against the better teams, but it feels like the games against Charlton and Oxford need to deliver at least one win.

Should Leicester City’s appeal against their points deduction be successful, Albion would be in the bottom three again, but Albion’s fight is not against the Foxes, it is against themselves. The squad has enough ability to get out of this situation, but they need to show that on the pitch. The situation is difficult but survivable – fourteen games and forty-two points to play for.

History

The last time that Albion were battling with the prospect of and, indeed, “enjoying” third tier football, Coventry City were in the Premier League enjoying their longest ever spell of top flight football. That extended from 1967 to their eventual relegation, after a number of near misses, in 2001. Eleven years later, they themselves dropped back to the third tier and even had a season in League Two less than a decade ago. Famously, their 6th placed finish in 2018 was their highest in any division since 1970 when they had finished 6th in the old Division One. They beat Exeter City in the play-off final and, two years later won the League One title to return to the Championship.

They surprised many by securing a play-off place in 2023, losing out to Luton Town in the Wembley final, and surprised even more when they dismissed the longest serving Championship manager, Mark Robins, in November 2024. The appointment of Frank Lampard also raised a few eyebrows but his team secured another top six finish last season, this time losing to Sunderland in the play-off semi, and dominated the division in the first half of the current campaign.

Since their return to the Championship, City have not won at the Hawthorns, earning a goalless draw in April 2022 but losing on their subsequent three visits. City’s last win in West Bromwich was in December 2007 when Leon Best and Michael Mifsud both scored in both the first eleven and final seven minutes of the match, with Roman Bednár scoring his own brace in between. It finished 4-2 with Paul Robinson’s red card with twenty minutes left a significant moment.

Stat Attack

Current Form

All competitions; most recent game on the right

Last matches

Last meeting

22 Nov 2025 – League Championship
Coventry City 3 (Eccles, Simms, Torp)
West Bromwich Albion 2 (Heggebø (2))

Last meeting at the Hawthorns

11 Dec 2024 – League Championship
West Bromwich Albion 2 (Mowatt, Grant)
Coventry City 0

Albion’s Record against Coventry City