Albion’s Second Tier Season Comparison – 41 games

A demoralising defeat at Ashton Gate leaves Tony Mowbray’s team grimly hanging on to hopes of finishing in the top six by their fingertips. Unfortunately, their current run of results suggests that those hopes are already dashed.

Based on the average points-per-game of their remaining opponents, Albion actually have the easiest run-in of any side in the division as they play three of the bottom four. Bristol City have one of the toughest having to play both Leeds United and Sunderland in their final five games, but Middlesbrough and Coventry City have relatively easy run-ins.

The Baggies’ current run of 13 away games without victory matches a club record in the second tier which last occurred between October 1929 and March 1930. If you are looking for positive omens, however, that run ended with what was the second in a run of seven straight wins to end that season to finish sixth, followed by another four straight wins at the beginning of the following campaign in which Albion were promoted and won the FA Cup!

Albion haven’t lost game 42 in a season since 1997/98 and have won that particular fixture in the last five second tier campaigns. One of the more memorable game 42s was in the year 2000 when Bolton Wanderers were the visitors to the Hawthorns. Sneekes gave the hosts the lead from the spot before Bo Hanson equalised with a header that went in off the post. Sean Flynn put Albion back in front with a rare header from the diminutive midfielder, but Wanderers equalised once again the current chair of the FA of Iceland, Guðni Bergsson, ten minutes into the second half. Another Icelandic, Eidur Gudjohnsen, put the visitors ahead for the first time when he was put through on goal before Bob Taylor’s spectacular overhead kick made it 3-3 with eleven minutes left. Baggies substitute, Adam Oliver, looked to have won it when he made it 4-3 in the dying minutes but Bergsson scored in stoppage time to make the final score 4-4.

The Baggies played Watford at home in game 42 of Mowbray’s last Championship campaign at the Hawthorns in 2008 – the game finished 1-1.

    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 41 16 17 8 60 38 65 5th 12 6 3 40 18 42 4 11 5 20 20 23 9th 72
1989/1990 41 11 14 16 60 61 47 17th 6 8 7 34 31 26 5 6 9 26 30 21 20th 51
1990/1991 41 10 13 18 47 56 43 21st 7 9 5 24 19 30 3 4 13 23 37 13 23rd 48
1993/1994 41 11 12 18 53 60 45 21st 8 7 6 35 27 31 3 5 12 18 33 14 21st 51
1994/1995 41 14 8 19 42 53 50 16th 11 2 7 26 23 35 3 6 12 16 30 15 19th 58
1995/1996 41 14 9 18 51 62 51 17th 9 5 7 28 26 32 5 4 11 23 36 19 11th 60
1996/1997 41 12 14 15 63 67 50 19th 5 7 8 33 30 22 7 7 7 30 37 28 16th 57
1997/1998 41 15 11 15 41 47 56 10th 9 6 6 23 22 33 6 5 9 18 25 23 10th 61
1998/1999 41 15 8 18 63 69 53 11th 11 2 7 39 30 35 4 6 11 24 39 18 12th 59
1999/2000 41 8 17 16 34 53 41 20th 4 10 6 17 21 22 4 7 10 17 32 19 21st 49
2000/2001 41 20 9 12 55 46 69 5th 13 4 4 36 21 43 7 5 8 19 25 26 6th 74
2001/2002 41 23 7 11 53 27 76 3rd 13 3 4 30 9 42 10 4 7 23 18 34 2nd 89
2003/2004 41 23 11 7 60 35 80 2nd 13 5 3 32 14 44 10 6 4 28 21 36 2nd 86
2006/2007 41 19 10 12 69 50 67 5th 13 4 4 44 23 43 6 6 8 25 27 24 4th 76
2007/2008 41 20 10 11 81 52 70 1st 12 6 3 49 25 42 8 4 8 32 27 28 1st 81
2009/2010 41 24 10 7 81 43 82 2nd 15 2 4 45 20 47 9 8 3 36 23 35 2nd 91
2018/2019 41 20 10 11 77 55 70 4th 9 7 4 44 27 34 11 3 7 33 28 36 4th 80
2019/2020 41 21 14 6 71 40 77 2nd 9 8 3 40 25 35 12 6 3 31 15 42 2nd 83
2021/2022 41 15 12 14 45 40 57 11th 10 7 3 27 15 37 5 5 11 18 25 20 10th 67
2022/2023 41 16 12 13 52 45 60 11th 10 7 4 28 17 37 6 5 9 24 28 23 9th 66
2023/2024 41 19 12 10 64 41 69 5th 13 4 3 33 16 43 6 8 7 31 25 26 5th 75
2024/2025 41 13 18 10 49 38 57 8th 9 8 3 25 13 35 4 10 7 24 25 22    
* Positions are recorded as Albion’s position in the table after all fixtures for that day have been completed.

Results

1988/1989 15/04/1989 Plymouth Argyle (H) D 2-2 Brown (o.g.), West
1989/1990 11/04/1990 Newcastle United (A) L 1-2 Goodman
1990/1991 13/04/1991 Leicester City (H) W 2-1 White, Goodman
1993/1994 16/04/1994 Tranmere Rovers (H) L 1-3 Nixon (o.g.)
1994/1995 08/04/1995 Bolton Wanderers (A) L 0-1  
1995/1996 09/04/1996 Leicester City (A) W 2-1 Sneekes, Raven
1996/1997 05/04/1997 Sheffield United (A) W 2-1 Caldicott, Taylor
1997/1998 04/04/1998 Middlesbrough (H) W 2-1 Quinn (2, 1 pen)
1998/1999 10/04/1999 Queen’s Park Rangers (A) L 1-2 Kilbane
1999/2000 08/04/2000 Barnsley (A) D 2-2 Sneekes (pen), Taylor
2000/2001 07/04/2001 Fulham (A) D 0-0  
2001/2002 26/03/2002 Crewe Alexandra (H) W 4-1 Jordão (2), Dichio, Wright (o.g.)
2003/2004 12/04/2004 Millwall (A) D 1-1 Johnson
2006/2007 07/04/2007 Stoke City (H) L 1-3 Koumas
2007/2008 08/04/2008 Blackpool (A) W 3-1 Phillips (2, 1 pen), Miller
2009/2010 02/04/2010 Leicester City (H) W 3-0 Morrison, Koren (2)
2018/2019 09/04/2019 Bristol City (A) L 2-3 Gayle, Rodriguez
2019/2020 05/07/2020 Hull City (H) W 4-2 Austin, Hegazi, Grosicki, Diangana
2021/2022 09/04/2022 Stoke City (H) L 1-3 Robinson
2022/2023 15/04/2023 Stoke City (A) W 2-1 Molumby (2)
2023/2024 06/04/2024 Stoke City (A) D 2-2 Johnston, Wallace
2024/2025 08/04/2025 Bristol City (A) L 1-2 Mowatt

Next Matches

1988/1989 22/04/1989 Ipswich Town (A) L 1-2 West
1989/1990 14/04/1990 Brighton & Hove Albion (A) W 3-0 Goodman, Ford, Bannister
1990/1991 20/04/1991 Barnsley (A) D 1-1 Strodder
1993/1994 24/04/1994 Nottingham Forest (A) L 1-2 Taylor
1994/1995 15/04/1995 Southend United (H) W 2-0 Hamilton, Strodder
1995/1996 13/04/1996 Grimsby Town (H) W 3-1 Taylor (2), Sneekes
1996/1997 09/04/1997 Crystal Palace (H) W 1-0 Peschisolido
1997/1998 11/04/1998 Stockport County (A) L 1-2 Hughes
1998/1999 13/04/1999 Swindon Town (H) D 1-1 Hughes
1999/2000 15/04/2000 Bolton Wanderers (H) D 4-4 Sneekes (pen), Flynn, Taylor, Oliver
2000/2001 14/04/2001 Burnley (A) D 1-1 Taylor
2001/2002 30/03/2002 Barnsley (H) W 3-1 Jordão, Dichio, Benjamin
2003/2004 18/04/2004 Sunderland (A) W 1-0 Koumas
2006/2007 09/04/2007 Norwich City (A) W 2-1 Sodje, Kamara
2007/2008 12/04/2008 Watford (H) D 1-1 Barnett
2009/2010 05/04/2010 Watford (A) D 1-1 Brunt
2018/2019 13/04/2019 Preston North End (H) W 4-1 Gayle (3), Rodriguez
2019/2020 08/07/2020 Derby County (H) W 2-0 Diangana, O’Shea
2021/2022 15/04/2022 Blackpool (H) W 2-1 Carroll, Grant
2022/2023 18/04/2023 Blackpool (A) W 2-0 Thomas-Asante, Gardner-Hickman
2023/2024 10/04/2024 Rotherham United (H) W 2-0 Thomas-Asante, Swift (pen)
2024/2025 12/04/2025 Watford (H)      

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