Albion fell to defeat on the opening day of a second tier season for the first time since 2018, but perhaps there is encouragement in that they also started their promotion seasons in 2001, 2003 and 2007 with defeats. It is the fourth second tier season in succession that the Baggies have kicked off their campaign on the road, and in only three of their eleven second tier seasons this century have they played at the Hawthorns in their first game.
Matt Phillips scored his second opening day goal having scored a spectacular winner at Nottingham Forest in 2019 and his third goal against Blackburn Rovers – he found the net in Albion’s 3-2 victory at the Hawthorns in August 2019 and notched what proved to be the winner in a 2-1 win at Ewood Park in August 2021.
| 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 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9th | 72 |
| 1989/1990 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24th | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20th | 51 |
| 1990/1991 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23rd | 48 |
| 1993/1994 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21st | 51 |
| 1994/1995 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19th | 58 |
| 1995/1996 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11th | 60 |
| 1996/1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 16th | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16th | 57 |
| 1997/1998 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10th | 61 |
| 1998/1999 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 14th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12th | 59 |
| 1999/2000 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11th | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21st | 49 |
| 2000/2001 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6th | 74 |
| 2001/2002 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 17th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2nd | 89 |
| 2003/2004 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 23rd | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2nd | 86 |
| 2006/2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3rd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4th | 76 |
| 2007/2008 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 18th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1st | 81 |
| 2009/2010 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15th | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2nd | 91 |
| 2018/2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 22nd | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4th | 80 |
| 2019/2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2nd | 83 |
| 2021/2022 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10th | 67 |
| 2022/2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9th | 66 |
| 2023/2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 19th | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| * Positions are recorded as Albion’s position in the table after all fixtures for that day have been completed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Results
| 1988/1989 | 27/08/1988 | Leicester City (A) | D | 1-1 | Paskin |
| 1989/1990 | 19/08/1989 | Sheffield United (H) | L | 0-3 | |
| 1990/1991 | 25/08/1990 | Portsmouth (A) | D | 1-1 | Ford |
| 1993/1994 | 14/08/1993 | Barnsley (A) | D | 1-1 | Donovan |
| 1994/1995 | 13/08/1994 | Luton Town (A) | D | 1-1 | Taylor |
| 1995/1996 | 12/08/1995 | Charlton Athletic (H) | W | 1-0 | Gilbert |
| 1996/1997 | 17/08/1996 | Barnsley (H) | L | 1-2 | Hunt (pen) |
| 1997/1998 | 09/08/1997 | Tranmere Rovers (H) | W | 2-1 | Kilbane, Hunt |
| 1998/1999 | 08/08/1998 | Barnsley (A) | D | 2-2 | Sneekes, Quinn |
| 1999/2000 | 07/08/1999 | Norwich City (H) | D | 1-1 | Raven |
| 2000/2001 | 12/08/2000 | Nottingham Forest (A) | L | 0-1 | |
| 2001/2002 | 11/08/2001 | Walsall (A) | L | 1-2 | Clement |
| 2003/2004 | 09/08/2003 | Walsall (A) | L | 1-4 | Koumas |
| 2006/2007 | 05/08/2006 | Hull City (H) | W | 2-0 | Hartson (2) |
| 2007/2008 | 11/08/2007 | Burnley (A) | L | 1-2 | Phillips |
| 2009/2010 | 08/08/2009 | Newcastle United (H) | D | 1-1 | Martis |
| 2018/2019 | 04/08/2018 | Bolton Wanderers (H) | L | 1-2 | Barnes |
| 2019/2020 | 03/08/2019 | Nottingham Forest (A) | W | 2-1 | Edwards, Phillips |
| 2021/2022 | 06/08/2021 | AFC Bournemouth (A) | D | 2-2 | O’Shea, Robinson |
| 2022/2023 | 30/07/2022 | Middlesbrough (A) | D | 1-1 | Swift |
| 2023/2024 | 05/08/2023 | Blackburn Rovers (A) | L | 1-2 | Phillips |
Next Matches
| 1988/1989 | 29/08/1988 | Watford (H) | L | 0-1 | |
| 1989/1990 | 22/08/1989 | AFC Bournemouth (A) | D | 1-1 | Goodman |
| 1990/1991 | 01/09/1990 | Ipswich Town (H) | L | 1-2 | Bannister |
| 1993/1994 | 21/08/1993 | Oxford United (H) | W | 3-1 | Hunt, Donovan, O’Regan |
| 1994/1995 | 28/08/1994 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) | L | 0-2 | |
| 1995/1996 | 20/08/1995 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) | D | 1-1 | Taylor |
| 1996/1997 | 24/08/1996 | Charlton Athletic (A) | D | 1-1 | Taylor |
| 1997/1998 | 16/08/1997 | Crewe Alexandra (A) | W | 3-2 | Hunt (pen), Hughes (2) |
| 1998/1999 | 15/08/1998 | Sheffield United (H) | W | 4-1 | Carbon, Kilbane, Hughes (2) |
| 1999/2000 | 14/08/1999 | Port Vale (A) | W | 2-1 | Hughes, Kilbane |
| 2000/2001 | 19/08/2000 | Bolton Wanderers (H) | L | 0-2 | |
| 2001/2002 | 18/08/2001 | Grimsby Town (H) | L | 0-1 | |
| 2003/2004 | 16/08/2003 | Burnley (H) | W | 4-1 | Šakiri, Hulse, Hughes (2) |
| 2006/2007 | 08/08/2006 | Cardiff City (A) | D | 1-1 | Gera |
| 2007/2008 | 18/08/2007 | Preston North End (H) | W | 2-0 | Phillips, Miller |
| 2009/2010 | 15/08/2009 | Nottingham Forest (A) | W | 1-0 | Cohen (o.g.) |
| 2018/2019 | 07/08/2018 | Nottingham Forest (A) | D | 1-1 | Phillips |
| 2019/2020 | 10/08/2019 | Millwall (H) | D | 1-1 | Bartley |
| 2021/2022 | 14/08/2021 | Luton Town (H) | W | 3-2 | Naismith (o.g.), Robinson, Grant |
| 2022/2023 | 08/08/2022 | Watford (H) | D | 1-1 | Grant |
| 2023/2024 | 12/08/2023 | Swansea City (H) |
