Albion’s Second Tier Season Comparison – 42 games

John Swift’s dubiously awarded penalty confirmed the three points for Albion against the Millers to reinforce the Baggies position in the table. It was Swift’s sixth successful spot kick in an Albion shirt and he is yet to miss one since his move from Reading. The only penalty he has missed in his career was in a Championship match for the Royals in 2017 against former Albion ‘keeper, David Button, when he was playing for Fulham. Luckily for Swift, his teammate, Roy Beerens, stuck away the rebound and then Fulham missed a penalty of their own in the last minute.

Albion now have more points at this stage than Mowbray’s title-winning team of 2008 had, while only Roberto di Matteo’s 2009/10 team had amassed more points at the Hawthorns at this stage (47) than this campaign’s side (46). Last night was Albion’s 20th victory of the campaign and never before in our comparison seasons have the Baggies won twenty games in a campaign and not finished in the top six.

Game 43 has often been important given it is so late in the season, and in 2002 when, having watched Wolves lose 2-0 at home to Manchester City on Easter Monday, Albion went out and beat Coventry City at Highfield Road to move level on points with their Black Country rivals having been eleven points adrift a few short weeks earlier.

Two years later, Albion watched as Sunderland failed to beat Wigan Athletic thereby confirming Gary Megson’s team’s return to the Premier League before their 2-0 victory over Bradford City was confirmed, while in 2010, game 43 was a victory at Doncaster Rovers for Roberto di Matteo’s team that secured promotion with three games to go.

    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 42 16 17 9 61 40 65 6th 12 6 3 40 18 42 4 11 6 21 22 23 9th 72
1989/1990 42 12 14 16 63 61 50 15th 6 8 7 34 31 26 6 6 9 29 30 24 20th 51
1990/1991 42 10 14 18 48 57 44 22nd 7 9 5 24 19 30 3 5 13 24 38 14 23rd 48
1993/1994 42 11 12 19 54 62 45 21st 8 7 6 35 27 31 3 5 13 19 35 14 21st 51
1994/1995 42 15 8 19 44 53 53 15th 12 2 7 28 23 38 3 6 12 16 30 15 19th 58
1995/1996 42 15 9 18 54 63 54 13th 10 5 7 31 27 35 5 4 11 23 36 19 11th 60
1996/1997 42 13 14 15 64 67 53 15th 6 7 8 34 30 25 7 7 7 30 37 28 16th 57
1997/1998 42 15 11 16 42 49 56 12th 9 6 6 23 22 33 6 5 10 19 27 23 10th 61
1998/1999 42 15 9 18 64 70 54 12th 11 3 7 40 31 36 4 6 11 24 39 18 12th 59
1999/2000 42 8 18 16 38 57 42 21st 4 11 6 21 25 23 4 7 10 17 32 19 21st 49
2000/2001 42 20 10 12 56 47 70 5th 13 4 4 36 21 43 7 6 8 20 26 27 6th 74
2001/2002 42 24 7 11 56 28 79 3rd 14 3 4 33 10 45 10 4 7 23 18 34 2nd 89
2003/2004 42 24 11 7 61 35 83 2nd 13 5 3 32 14 44 11 6 4 29 21 39 2nd 86
2006/2007 42 20 10 12 71 51 70 4th 13 4 4 44 23 43 7 6 8 27 28 27 4th 76
2007/2008 42 20 11 11 82 53 71 2nd 12 7 3 50 26 43 8 4 8 32 27 28 1st 81
2009/2010 42 24 11 7 82 44 83 2nd 15 2 4 45 20 47 9 9 3 37 24 36 2nd 91
2018/2019 42 21 10 11 81 56 73 4th 10 7 4 48 28 37 11 3 7 33 28 36 4th 80
2019/2020 42 22 14 6 73 40 80 1st 10 8 3 42 25 38 12 6 3 31 15 42 2nd 83
2021/2022 42 16 12 14 47 41 60 11th 11 7 3 29 16 40 5 5 11 18 25 20 10th 67
2022/2023 42 17 12 13 54 45 63 6th 10 7 4 28 17 37 7 5 9 26 28 26 9th 66
2023/2024 42 20 12 10 66 41 72 5th 14 4 3 35 16 46 6 8 7 31 25 26    
* Positions are recorded as Albion’s position in the table after all fixtures for that day have been completed.

Results

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 Sheekes (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)

Next Matches

1988/1989 29/04/1989 Crystal Palace (A) L 0-1  
1989/1990 16/04/1990 Plymouth Argyle (H) L 0-3  
1990/1991 23/04/1991 Watford (A) D 1-1 Goodman
1993/1994 27/04/1994 Birmingham City (H) L 2-4 Donovan, Burgess
1994/1995 17/04/1995 Bristol City (A) L 0-1  
1995/1996 20/04/1996 Norwich City (A) D 2-2 Taylor, Sneekes
1996/1997 12/04/1997 Manchester City (H) L 1-3 Murphy
1997/1998 13/04/1998 Sunderland (H) D 3-3 Hughes (2), Kilbane
1998/1999 17/04/1999 Portsmouth (H) D 2-2 Maresca, Quinn
1999/2000 22/04/2000 Walsall (A) L 1-2 Flynn
2000/2001 16/04/2001 Grimsby Town (H) L 0-1  
2001/2002 01/04/2002 Coventry City (A) W 1-0 Taylor
2003/2004 24/04/2004 Bradford City (H) W 2-0 Horsfield, Hughes
2006/2007 13/04/2007 Sheffield Wednesday (H) L 0-1  
2007/2008 15/04/2008 Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) W 1-0 Gera
2009/2010 10/04/2010 Doncaster Rovers (A) W 3-2 Dorrans, Brunt, Bednár
2018/2019 19/04/2019 Hull City (H) W 3-2 Gibbs, Gayle (2)
2019/2020 11/07/2020 Blackburn Rovers (A) D 1-1 Krovinovic
2021/2022 18/04/2022 Nottingham Forest (A) L 0-4  
2022/2023 22/04/2023 Sunderland (H) L 1-2 Swift (pen)
2023/2024 13/04/2024 Sunderland (H)      

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