Defeat at Bramall Lane leaves Albion’s play-offs hopes hanging by a thread. They can now only reach a maximum of 69 points which, if it proves to be enough for a top six place, would only be the second time this century that a team in the Championship top six acquired fewer than 70 points.
One thing that the Baggies could celebrate was that they became only the sixth club to reach 5,000 regular league games joining Preston North End, Burnley, Wolves, Derby County and Bolton Wanderers. Obviously, these fellow Football League Founder Member clubs got there quicker by virtue of playing more football in the lower divisions – before the Premier League, Divisions Three and Four played more games each season while Albion’s thirteen seasons in the Premier League at just 38 games a season is more than any of these six clubs can boast.
For the record, Albion’s 1,000th league game was on 27th December 1921, a 2-0 victory away to Birmingham (before they added “City” to their name), while game 2,000 was also a 2-0 win, this time at home to Arsenal on 1st November 1952. The 3,000 milestone was hit with a 1-1 draw at home to Coventry City on 17th September 1976 while Albion’s 4,000th league game was one to forget – a 5-1 home defeat at the hands of Crewe Alexandra in 5th April 1999. Depending on which divisions the Baggies spend the coming years, game 6,000 will be somewhere between 2044 and 2049!
Notts County would have been the first to reach the target had they not been relegated to the National League in 2019 and they remain 14 matches short. Blackburn Rovers will be the next to reach the milestone in the sixth match of next season, followed by last night’s opponents, Sheffield United, in their eighth match of their Premier League campaign – the Blades will become the first non-Founder Member to reach the 5,000 mark having joined the Football League in 1892.
Of the other Founder Members, Accrington FC were dissolved in 1896, Stoke spent several seasons out of league football before the First World War so are a few years away while Everton and Aston Villa’s years in the Premier League playing only 38 games a season mean that they will not hit the 5,000 mark for several seasons.
| 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 | 44 | 17 | 17 | 10 | 64 | 41 | 68 | 7th | 13 | 6 | 3 | 43 | 18 | 45 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 9th | 72 |
| 1989/1990 | 44 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 64 | 66 | 50 | 17th | 6 | 8 | 8 | 34 | 34 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 30 | 32 | 24 | 20th | 51 |
| 1990/1991 | 44 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 50 | 59 | 46 | 23rd | 7 | 10 | 5 | 25 | 20 | 31 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 25 | 39 | 15 | 23rd | 48 |
| 1993/1994 | 44 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 57 | 66 | 48 | 21st | 9 | 7 | 7 | 38 | 31 | 34 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 19 | 35 | 14 | 21st | 51 |
| 1994/1995 | 44 | 15 | 9 | 20 | 44 | 54 | 54 | 19th | 12 | 3 | 7 | 28 | 23 | 39 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 31 | 15 | 19th | 58 |
| 1995/1996 | 44 | 15 | 11 | 18 | 56 | 65 | 56 | 14th | 10 | 5 | 7 | 31 | 27 | 35 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 25 | 38 | 21 | 11th | 60 |
| 1996/1997 | 44 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 65 | 70 | 54 | 16th | 6 | 7 | 9 | 35 | 33 | 25 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 30 | 37 | 29 | 16th | 57 |
| 1997/1998 | 44 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 45 | 53 | 57 | 11th | 9 | 7 | 6 | 26 | 25 | 34 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 19 | 28 | 23 | 10th | 61 |
| 1998/1999 | 44 | 15 | 11 | 18 | 67 | 73 | 56 | 13th | 11 | 4 | 7 | 42 | 33 | 37 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 25 | 40 | 19 | 12th | 59 |
| 1999/2000 | 44 | 9 | 18 | 17 | 41 | 60 | 45 | 21st | 5 | 11 | 6 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 34 | 19 | 21st | 49 |
| 2000/2001 | 44 | 21 | 10 | 13 | 58 | 49 | 73 | 4th | 13 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 22 | 43 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 22 | 27 | 30 | 6th | 74 |
| 2001/2002 | 44 | 25 | 8 | 11 | 58 | 29 | 83 | 2nd | 14 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 11 | 46 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 18 | 37 | 2nd | 89 |
| 2003/2004 | 44 | 25 | 11 | 8 | 63 | 36 | 86 | 2nd | 14 | 5 | 3 | 34 | 14 | 47 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 29 | 22 | 39 | 2nd | 86 |
| 2006/2007 | 44 | 20 | 10 | 14 | 73 | 55 | 70 | 5th | 13 | 4 | 5 | 44 | 24 | 43 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 29 | 31 | 27 | 4th | 76 |
| 2007/2008 | 44 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 85 | 54 | 77 | 1st | 12 | 7 | 3 | 50 | 26 | 43 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 35 | 28 | 34 | 1st | 81 |
| 2009/2010 | 44 | 26 | 11 | 7 | 87 | 46 | 89 | 2nd | 16 | 2 | 4 | 47 | 20 | 50 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 40 | 26 | 39 | 2nd | 91 |
| 2018/2019 | 44 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 84 | 58 | 77 | 4th | 11 | 7 | 4 | 51 | 30 | 40 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 33 | 28 | 37 | 4th | 80 |
| 2019/2020 | 44 | 22 | 16 | 6 | 74 | 41 | 82 | 2nd | 10 | 9 | 3 | 42 | 25 | 39 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 32 | 16 | 43 | 2nd | 83 |
| 2021/2022 | 44 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 47 | 45 | 61 | 13th | 11 | 8 | 3 | 29 | 16 | 41 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 29 | 20 | 10th | 67 |
| 2022/2023 | 44 | 17 | 12 | 15 | 55 | 49 | 63 | 9th | 10 | 7 | 5 | 29 | 19 | 37 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 30 | 26 | ||
| * Positions are recorded as Albion’s position in the table after all fixtures for that day have been completed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Results
| 1988/1989 | 01/05/1989 | Portsmouth (H) | W | 3-0 | Anderson (pen), West (2) |
| 1989/1990 | 21/04/1990 | Swindon Town (A) | L | 1-2 | Goodman |
| 1990/1991 | 27/04/1991 | Port Vale (H) | D | 1-1 | Goodman |
| 1993/1994 | 30/04/1994 | Grimsby Town (H) | W | 1-0 | Donovan |
| 1994/1995 | 22/04/1995 | Derby County (H) | D | 0-0 | |
| 1995/1996 | 27/04/1996 | Sunderland (A) | D | 0-0 | |
| 1996/1997 | 19/04/1997 | Huddersfield Town (A) | D | 0-0 | |
| 1997/1998 | 18/04/1998 | Huddersfield Town (A) | L | 0-1 | |
| 1998/1999 | 25/04/1999 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) | D | 1-1 | Evans |
| 1999/2000 | 24/04/2000 | Grimsby Town (H) | W | 2-1 | Taylor (2) |
| 2000/2001 | 21/04/2001 | Gillingham (A) | W | 2-1 | Hughes, Clement |
| 2001/2002 | 07/04/2002 | Rotherham United (H) | D | 1-1 | Taylor |
| 2003/2004 | 01/05/2004 | Reading (A) | L | 0-1 | |
| 2006/2007 | 23/04/2007 | Burnley (A) | L | 2-3 | Koumas, Ellington |
| 2007/2008 | 19/04/2008 | Norwich City (A) | W | 2-1 | Koren, Gera |
| 2009/2010 | 17/04/2010 | Middlesbrough (H) | W | 2-0 | Cox, Bednár |
| 2018/2019 | 22/04/2019 | Reading (A) | D | 0-0 | |
| 2019/2020 | 14/07/2020 | Fulham (H) | D | 0-0 | |
| 2021/2022 | 23/04/2022 | Coventry City (H) | D | 0-0 | |
| 2022/2023 | 26/04/2023 | Sheffield United (A) | L | 0-2 |
Next Matches
| 1988/1989 | 06/05/1989 | Sunderland (H) | D | 0-0 | |
| 1989/1990 | 28/04/1990 | Barnsley (A) | D | 2-2 | Tiler (o.g.), Bradley |
| 1990/1991 | 04/05/1991 | Newcastle United (H) | D | 1-1 | Goodman |
| 1993/1994 | 03/05/1994 | Luton Town (A) | L | 2-3 | Taylor, Ashcroft |
| 1994/1995 | 30/04/1995 | Tranmere Rovers (H) | W | 5-1 | Donovan, Ashcroft (3, 1 pen), Taylor |
| 1995/1996 | 30/04/1996 | Barnsley (A) | D | 1-1 | Gilbert |
| 1996/1997 | 26/04/1997 | Grimsby Town (H) | W | 2-0 | Hunt, Coldicott |
| 1997/1998 | 25/04/1998 | Sheffield United (A) | W | 4-2 | Hunt, Hughes (2), Kilbane |
| 1998/1999 | 01/05/1999 | Bury (H) | W | 1-0 | De Freitas |
| 1999/2000 | 29/04/2000 | Queen’s Park Rangers (A) | D | 0-0 | |
| 2000/2001 | 28/04/2001 | Huddersfield Town (H) | D | 1-1 | Roberts |
| 2001/2002 | 13/04/2002 | Bradford City (A) | W | 1-0 | Bališ (pen) |
| 2003/2004 | 04/05/2004 | Stoke City (A) | L | 1-4 | Dobie |
| 2006/2007 | 28/04/2007 | Coventry City (A) | W | 1-0 | Robinson |
| 2007/2008 | 28/04/2008 | Southampton (H) | D | 1-1 | Brunt |
| 2009/2010 | 26/04/2010 | Crystal Palace (A) | D | 1-1 | Tamas |
| 2018/2019 | 27/04/2019 | Rotherham United (H) | W | 2-1 | Rodriguez (pen), Harper |
| 2019/2020 | 17/07/2020 | Huddersfield Town (A) | L | 1-2 | O’Shea |
| 2021/2022 | 30/04/2022 | Reading (A) | W | 1-0 | Grant |
| 2022/2023 | 29/04/2023 | Norwich City (H) |
