Alex Palmer’s penalty save, his first for Albion in a senior match, secured the Baggies’ second clean sheet of the season, and their second in three games. It was Palmer’s first senior penalty save since he saved two in one match for Kidderminster Harriers against Barrow in September 2015 – the four penalties he had faced in an Albion shirt before Saturday were all scored, the most recent by Marcus Forss for Blackburn Rovers earlier this season.
It was the first penalty saved by an Albion goalkeeper since David Button kept out Ismaïla Sarr’s spot kick for Watford in August last year, the match in which the same player beat him from the halfway line! Sam Johnstone saved five penalties for Albion, while another six were missed while he was in goal including two in one Premier League match by Brighton & Hove Albion in February 2021.
This campaign remains the second worst start to a second tier season since 1994/95 when Keith Burkinshaw’s side had just seven points from the opening eight games after a 2-0 home defeat by Portsmouth. He would last just three more games, all of which were lost, before being dismissed. Steve Bruce’s team had nine points at the same stage last season.
| 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 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 11th | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 9th | 72 |
| 1989/1990 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 16th | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 20th | 51 |
| 1990/1991 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 18th | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 23rd | 48 |
| 1993/1994 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 16th | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 21st | 51 |
| 1994/1995 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 23rd | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 19th | 58 |
| 1995/1996 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 15 | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 11th | 60 |
| 1996/1997 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13th | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 16th | 57 |
| 1997/1998 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 15 | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 10th | 61 |
| 1998/1999 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 9th | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 12th | 59 |
| 1999/2000 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 9th | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 21st | 49 |
| 2000/2001 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 8th | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 6th | 74 |
| 2001/2002 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 8th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2nd | 89 |
| 2003/2004 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 9 | 16 | 3rd | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 2nd | 86 |
| 2006/2007 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 9th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4th | 76 |
| 2007/2008 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 7 | 16 | 2nd | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1st | 81 |
| 2009/2010 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 7 | 20 | 1st | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 2nd | 91 |
| 2018/2019 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 3rd | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4th | 80 |
| 2019/2020 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 10 | 16 | 4th | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 2nd | 83 |
| 2021/2022 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 16 | 3rd | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 10th | 67 |
| 2022/2023 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 13th | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 9th | 66 |
| 2023/2024 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 13th | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | ||
| * Positions are recorded as Albion’s position in the table after all fixtures for that day have been completed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Results
| 1988/1989 | 01/10/1988 | Ipswich Town (H) | L | 1-2 | Whyte |
| 1989/1990 | 27/09/1989 | Blackburn Rovers (H) | D | 2-2 | Goodman, Ford |
| 1990/1991 | 06/10/1990 | Millwall (A) | L | 1-4 | West |
| 1993/1994 | 25/09/1993 | Middlesbrough (H) | D | 1-1 | Taylor |
| 1994/1995 | 28/09/1994 | Portsmouth (H) | L | 0-2 | |
| 1995/1996 | 17/09/1995 | Birmingham City (H) | W | 1-0 | Hunt |
| 1996/1997 | 28/09/1996 | Ipswich Town (H) | D | 0-0 | |
| 1997/1998 | 20/09/1997 | Swindon Town (H) | D | 0-0 | |
| 1998/1999 | 20/09/1998 | Bradford City (H) | L | 0-2 | |
| 1999/2000 | 25/09/1999 | Crystal Palace (H) | D | 0-0 | |
| 2000/2001 | 17/09/2000 | Birmingham City (H) | D | 1-1 | Taylor |
| 2001/2002 | 22/09/2001 | Wimbledon (H) | L | 0-1 | |
| 2003/2004 | 20/09/2003 | Crystal Palace (A) | D | 2-2 | Hulse, Koumas |
| 2006/2007 | 16/09/2006 | Southend United (H) | D | 1-1 | Ellington |
| 2007/2008 | 30/09/2007 | Queen’s Park Rangers (H) | W | 5-1 | Phillips (2), Miller, Koren, Greening |
| 2009/2010 | 19/09/2009 | Middlesbrough (A) | W | 5-0 | Brunt (2), Mulumbu, Bednár, Thomas |
| 2018/2019 | 18/09/2018 | Bristol City (H) | W | 4-2 | Rodriguez (2, 1 pen), Gayle, Barnes |
| 2019/2020 | 22/09/2019 | Huddersfield Town (H) | W | 4-2 | Phillips (2), Furlong, Ajayi |
| 2021/2022 | 18/09/2021 | Preston North End (A) | D | 1-1 | Phillips |
| 2022/2023 | 02/09/2022 | Burnley (H) | D | 1-1 | Thomas-Asante |
| 2023/2024 | 23/09/2023 | Millwall (H) | D | 0-0 |
Next Matches
| 1988/1989 | 05/10/1988 | AFC Bournemouth (H) | D | 0-0 | |
| 1989/1990 | 30/09/1989 | West Ham United (A) | W | 3-2 | Ford, McNally (2, 1 pen) |
| 1990/1991 | 13/10/1990 | Brighton & Hove Albion (H) | D | 1-1 | Gatting (o.g.) |
| 1993/1994 | 03/10/1993 | Derby County (A) | L | 3-5 | Taylor, Hunt (2) |
| 1994/1995 | 02/10/1994 | Stoke City (A) | L | 1-4 | Taylor |
| 1995/1996 | 24/09/1995 | Stoke City (A) | L | 1-2 | Hunt (pen) |
| 1996/1997 | 01/10/1996 | Oldham Athletic (A) | D | 1-1 | Groves |
| 1997/1998 | 27/09/1997 | Bury (A) | W | 3-1 | Peschisolido (3) |
| 1998/1999 | 26/09/1998 | Stockport County (A) | D | 2-2 | Hughes (2) |
| 1999/2000 | 03/10/1999 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) | D | 1-1 | Carbon |
| 2000/2001 | 23/09/2000 | Portsmouth (A) | W | 1-0 | Roberts |
| 2001/2002 | 25/09/2001 | Portsmouth (A) | W | 2-1 | Clement, Dobie |
| 2003/2004 | 27/09/2003 | Stoke City (H) | W | 1-0 | Dobie |
| 2006/2007 | 23/09/2006 | Luton Town (A) | D | 2-2 | Carter, Gera |
| 2007/2008 | 03/10/2007 | Stoke City (H) | D | 1-1 | Barnett |
| 2009/2010 | 26/09/2009 | Crystal Palace (H) | L | 0-1 | |
| 2018/2019 | 22/09/2018 | Millwall (H) | W | 2-0 | Gayle, Gibbs |
| 2019/2020 | 28/09/2019 | Queen’s Park Rangers (A) | W | 2-0 | Ferguson, Pereira |
| 2021/2022 | 24/09/2021 | Queen’s Park Rangers (H) | W | 2-1 | Grant (2) |
| 2022/2023 | 14/09/2022 | Birmingham City (H) | L | 2-3 | Wallace, Thomas-Asante (pen) |
| 2023/2024 | 30/09/2023 | Preston North End (A) |
