Albion’s Second Tier Season Comparison – 25 games

Albion’s seventh win in eight games lifted them to ninth place in the Championship table and to within a point of the play-off places. Other than after the opening game of the season, it is the Baggies’ highest league position since February.

Despite the recovery in form in recent weeks, it remains Albion’s worst start to a second tier season since 1999/2000, five points behind the next worst in 2006/2007.

The match against Preston was the 64th senior competitive match that the Baggies have played on a Thursday and the second this season having also beaten Sheffield Unitied on a Thursday night in the EFL Cup in August. Of the 53 league games that Albion have played on a Thursday, 28 have been on either Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day – of the non-festive league fixtures, the previous victory on a Thursday was back in 1972 when Don Howe’s team beat Chelsea 4-0 on 27th April.

Furthermore, last night saw the Baggies win their final match of a calendar year for the first time since Hal Robson-Kanu’s screamer secured a 2-1 win at Southampton on New Year’s Eve 2016. The Baggies also beat Newcastle United 1-0 in their final game of 2015 but the previous occasion they ended a year with a win was in 2009 when they beat Scunthorpe United 3-1.

Okay’s two goals against Preston was only the second brace scored by a Baggie this season, the other being Jed Wallace’s double in the 2-2 draw at Huddersfield Town in August.

    Home Away Season End
  Pld W D L F A Pts Posn* W D L F A Pts W D L F A Pts Posn Pts
1988/1989 25 12 8 5 43 23 44 2nd 8 2 2 26 9 26 4 6 3 17 14 18 9th 72
1989/1990 25 7 8 10 41 42 29 16th 4 4 4 24 21 16 3 4 6 17 21 13 20th 51
1990/1991 25 6 9 10 29 34 27 18th 4 6 3 14 11 18 2 3 7 15 23 9 23rd 48
1993/1994 25 6 7 12 37 42 25 20th 5 5 3 25 19 20 1 2 9 12 23 5 21st 51
1994/1995 25 8 6 11 22 32 30 17th 8 2 2 14 8 26 0 4 9 8 24 4 19th 58
1995/1996 25 7 4 14 28 41 25 21st 5 2 6 15 16 17 2 2 8 13 25 8 11th 60
1996/1997 25 7 12 6 42 40 33 11th 3 6 4 23 21 15 4 6 2 19 19 18 16th 57
1997/1998 25 12 5 8 27 24 41 6th 8 2 3 14 9 26 4 3 5 13 15 15 10th 61
1998/1999 25 11 4 10 46 42 37 10th 8 0 5 28 20 24 3 4 5 18 22 13 12th 59
1999/2000 25 5 12 8 24 30 27 18th 2 7 3 12 13 13 3 5 5 12 17 14 21st 49
2000/2001 25 13 5 7 35 29 44 5th 8 2 3 22 14 26 5 3 4 13 15 18 6th 74
2001/2002 25 13 4 8 28 21 43 5th 7 2 4 13 7 23 6 2 4 15 14 20 2nd 89
2003/2004 25 13 7 5 36 22 46 2nd 6 5 2 17 10 23 7 2 3 19 12 23 2nd 86
2006/2007 25 11 7 7 45 28 40 6th 9 2 1 30 10 29 2 5 6 15 18 11 4th 76
2007/2008 25 14 5 6 56 29 47 1st 9 3 1 34 11 30 5 2 5 22 18 17 1st 81
2009/2010 25 13 7 5 51 27 46 3rd 7 2 4 26 14 23 6 5 1 25 13 23 2nd 91
2018/2019 25 13 7 5 53 32 46 3rd 7 4 2 32 17 25 6 3 3 21 15 21 4th 80
2019/2020 25 14 9 2 47 27 51 2nd 6 5 1 29 18 23 8 4 1 18 9 28 2nd 83
2021/2022 25 11 9 5 31 19 42 4th 7 5 0 18 6 26 4 4 5 13 13 16 10th 67
2022/2023 25 9 8 8 33 26 35 9th 5 4 4 19 14 19 4 4 4 14 12 16    
* Positions are recorded as Albion’s position in the table after all fixtures for that day have been completed.

Results

1988/1989 14/01/1989 Watford (A) L 0-2  
1989/1990 01/01/1990 Brighton & Hove Albion (H) W 3-0 Robson, Bartlett, West
1990/1991 12/01/1991 Ipswich Town (A) L 0-1  
1993/1994 12/01/1994 Leicester City (A) L 2-4 Strodder, Mellon
1994/1995 31/12/1994 Bolton Wanderers (H) W 1-0 Hunt
1995/1996 13/01/1996 Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) D 0-0  
1996/1997 28/12/1996 Queen’s Park Rangers (H) W 4-1 Sneekes, Smith, Hunt, Peschisolido
1997/1998 28/12/1997 Stoke City (H) D 1-1 Hunt
1998/1999 26/12/1998 Port Vale (H) W 3-2 Murphy, Bortolazzi, Hughes (pen)
1999/2000 28/12/1999 Bolton Wanderers (A) D 1-1 Burgess
2000/2001 26/12/2000 Sheffield United (A) L 0-2  
2001/2002 22/12/2001 Sheffield Wednesday (H) D 1-1 Fox
2003/2004 26/12/2003 Derby County (H) D 1-1 Gaardsøe
2006/2007 26/12/2006 Preston North End (H) W 4-2 Koumas, Kamara, Ellington (2)
2007/2008 29/12/2007 Scunthorpe United (H) W 5-0 Phillips (2), Koren, Gera, Beattie
2009/2010 18/01/2010 Newcastle United (A) D 2-2 Olsson, Bednár
2018/2019 29/12/2018 Sheffield Wednesday (H) D 1-1 Jones (o.g.)
2019/2020 29/12/2019 Middlesbrough (H) L 0-2  
2021/2022 02/01/2022 Cardiff City (H) D 1-1 Robinson
2022/2023 29/12/2022 Preston North End (H) W 2-0 Yokuşlu (2)

Next Matches

1988/1989 21/01/1989 Leicester City (H) D 1-1 Robson
1989/1990 13/01/1990 Port Vale (H) L 2-3 Goodman, Ford
1990/1991 19/01/1991 Oxford United (H) W 2-0 Bannister, Shakespeare
1993/1994 15/01/1994 Peterborough United (A) L 0-2  
1994/1995 02/01/1995 Derby County (A) D 1-1 Hamilton
1995/1996 20/01/1996 Charlton Athletic (A) L 1-4 Hunt (pen)
1996/1997 01/01/1997 Tranmere Rovers (H) L 1-2 Burgess
1997/1998 09/01/1998 Tranmere Rovers (A) D 0-0  
1998/1999 28/12/1998 Crystal Palace (A) D 1-1 Hughes
1999/2000 03/01/2000 Barnsley (H) L 0-2  
2000/2001 30/12/2000 Bolton Wanderers (A) W 1-0 Roberts
2001/2002 26/12/2001 Manchester City (A) D 0-0  
2003/2004 30/12/2003 Wimbledon (A) D 0-0  
2006/2007 30/12/2006 Ipswich Town (H) W 2-0 Kamara, Koumas
2007/2008 01/01/2008 Ipswich Town (A) L 0-2  
2009/2010 26/01/2010 Ipswich Town (A) D 1-1 Brunt
2018/2019 01/01/2019 Blackburn Rovers (A) L 1-2 Rodriguez (pen)
2019/2020 01/01/2020 Leeds United (H) D 1-1 Ajayi
2021/2022 15/01/2022 Queen’s Park Rangers (A) L 0-1  
2022/2023 02/01/2023 Reading (H)      

If you cannot see the tables, click here.

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