West Bromwich Albion 5 - Luton Town 3

Date:	Saturday 3rd May 2025
Competition:	Sky Bet Championship
WBA: 6.8	(4-2-3-1) Griffiths 5.5, Furlong 5.2, Bartley 4.5 (Ajayi, 53 6.4), Heggem 7.4, Styles 7.1, Diakité 6.1 (Molumby, 62 5.5), Mowatt 5.7, Fellows 8.0 (Diangana, 78 4.2), Dike 7.2 (Armstrong, 62 4.0), Price 6.9 (Whitwell, 78 5.7), Grant 6.5 Unused subs: Wildsmith, Lankshear, Johnston, Cole Manager: James Morrison (c) 6.4
Luton: 4.1
Scorers:	Dike (30), Fellows (33, 7), Styles (57, 61)
Referee:	Darren Bond 6.0
Attendance:	25,615 Home Fans 7.0 Away Fans 5.9

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Brendan Clegg:

Back at the Hawthorns for the final time this year, the sun disappeared on the way up which made it an unexpected cold one! I thought the lineup was okay and it was nice to see a start for Dike. The more genuine 4-2-3-1 system is pretty reliable going both ways and I think that was reflected by how we started after an initial 5 minutes where Luton were fired up.

A little bit surprisingly it was Price on the left of the attacking three with Grant through the middle and Fellows right.

That took a bit to get going and there were some sloppy passes from Price especially but there was a lot of energy there with all 3 of them running hard and crucially getting around Dike as we looked to make early forward passes.

It was enough for us to pick up scraps without playing that well and that led to the opener with Fellows doing enough to wallop past their keeper from inside the box when a chance fell to him.

We were on top but conceded straight away… Furlong gambling to go forward (we’ve been asking for this I think so can’t complain), Diakité being robbed when trying to turn the ball over his shoulder on to Furlong and then from the counter Bartley getting caught quite square 1 v 1 allowing their player to twist and shoot across goal a bit easily.

We kept looking dangerous and useful though, and were making chances whereas Luton hardly had a sniff.

On about 29 minutes Dike, who I did think looked gassed, ran onto a ball in our half and was a simple pass away from putting Fellows in but he miscontrolled it and the moment went.

However, a minute or two later we worked the ball wide well to Styles and he hung the ball up for Dike to power how a header. Everyone was delighted and his team mates mobbed him.

High on adrenaline we soon added a third via another lovely directly quick passing move which I think involved Price and Dike before releasing Fellows to clip home.

Luton looked totally done and we saw the half out looking threatening.

I thought we might see changes at the break but we came out the same and although Luton put an extra forward on we looked comfortable and scored a couple more through Styles, the first a flowing quick team goal that was about getting bodies forward as one fullback assisted another, and the second a well hit drive from the edge of the box that also got a helpful slight deflection.

Grant also hit the bar/post with a great header from a nice Dike stand-up.

We got some subs on - Semi first replacing an injured Bartley before Dike, Diakite, Price and Fellows made way for Armstrong, Molumby, Whitwell and Grady.

I think the lack of a Lankshear/physical presence lost control of the match for us and a weakened team conceded a couple of goals from the edge of the box... decent finishes but too easy to get efforts away for sure.

Most noticeable for me was Morrison not getting Johnston on… and instead a couple of players who won’t be here next season. Maybe not having his arm-throwing and lack of grit?

And so it ended an entertaining 5-3 and via a team without the soft feet/ability of Swift, Diangana, Johnston and Armstrong we were able to really cruise past a team fighting for its life who still had players from a Premier League campaign last season.

All of our supporters will know that’s quite typical and there’s a whole season of regrets… the critical injuries to Maja and Ajayi that derailed us, the loss of Palmer that ultimately cost us 5 or 6 points that would’ve been enough, the head coach mini-debacle and then Mowbray trying to change too much too soon, putting faith on those who we knew would let him down and giving too much freedom to too many players you can’t trust with it leading to the ill-discipline that costs us suspensions, performances and even the marginally better results that would have extended our season. Add to that the inability to get Armstrong firing which is on both the coaches and himself - it’s just absolutely criminal and an abject failure to not make the playoffs from where we were with what we had, with this the worst Championship I can ever recall in terms of quality.

Both interim teams of Brunt and Abella and then Morrison and Abella tried to get the balance better and were more on the right lines if you look at the points in the games they got... I think in both cases we got better as their spells progressed.

It’s going to be so much harder next season with the teams coming into the division from both directions and our financial challenges. Bilkul have got a lot right so far, hopefully their strategy and approach will help us over-achieve because that’s what a top 6 finish will be.

Marks then for the match and the season -

Griffiths - 5 Conceded 3. Harsh but I don’t think he’s ready. Needs to get on the weights for some presence. 6 overall but I’d be looking for a senior keeper to sign.
Furlong - 6 Good moments but also wild, overly aggressive passing. 6 for the season but bottled it when we needed him and form dropped off a cliff when Carlos left.
Barts - 5 Not great for their opener. 6 for the season but has been erratic. Needs replacing.
Heggem - 7 solid and 8 overall, has been a great signing we’ll do well to keep.
Styles - 7 great goals and overall played well. 6 for the season due to errors and suspension.
Mowatt - 6 Kept it well. 6 for the season. Looks good but goes nowhere.
Diakite - 5 I thought he was physically weak and has played better but he was a shield. Some good moments too as he got into it. 5 for the season as criminally unused.
Fellows - 7 direct all game and scored/made chances. 7 overall. why didn’t Mowbray play him more? Daft.
Grant - 7 Ran himself stupid, showed good feet. Deserved a goal. Overall 7, bust a gut this year, quality lacking but set the bar. Will always accept graft.
Price - 6 Some brilliant energy and great touches but also sloppy play. Nearly scored a timeless own goal - what was he doing? 6 overall but loads of potential for next season.
Dike - 7 Fought, ran, took his goal well. He was definitely gassed until the goal though. 6 overall, has tried to get fit and generally has impacted games in his cameos. Let’s hope we can get a full season out of him.

Semi - 6 looked solid enough and played it forward. 6 for the season due to injuries but I think we’ve missed him massively if you look at our results in the team. I’m probably in the minority but I’d try and keep him for a year or two... we’ll do well to get better on a free.
Grady - 5 little impact. 5 also for the season sadly. Undoubted quality but has lost a yard and should’ve been put back as a left winger a long time ago. Has given us some brilliant moments of joy and entertainment. Wish him well.
Molumby - 5 quite ragged and 6 for the season. Has fight, heart and legs but does stupid things and that last suspension really cost us.
Armstrong - 4 Just not at it. 4 also for the season, I’m still shocked by how bad he’s been and the chances he missed in those early games... and even last week.
Whitwell - 5 Looked okay, need to see more of him.

And the rest I can think of for the season -

Palmer - 7 What a keeper and what a guy. Hugely missed.
Wildsmith - 4 Sadly just not up to it.
Holgate - 4 Did okay as right back but just bullied all the time at CB. Surprised by how bad he’s was and his earning to ability ratio is the most impressive thing about him!
Frabotta - 3 Can’t be anywhere near it but we needed bodies.
McNair - 3 Didn’t work did it?
MJ - 5 There is a player there but the key contributions haven’t happened. I keep saying it, I’d try him in a 10 in home games.
Swift - 4 Glad to see him gone. You’ve got to graft.
Dobbin - 3 Was awful with the odd spark of potential.
Racic - 4 Really disappointing. So timid and weak for a big guy who looked built for the league but disappeared.
Wallace - 5 Lots of injuries and quite a way off it when he did play but always tried and battled.
Bany - 4 Shame his body wasn’t ready for it but looks useful. Promising.
Lankshear - 5 A good honest kid who probably didn’t play enough. He’ll be better for it next season. Wouldn’t be against getting him back.
Maja - 7 Showed us all that he’s a great player, and if he had pace he’d comfortably be EPL level. His injury is probably the single biggest reason why we missed out on the playoffs as his link play and goals were irreplaceable.
Cole - 3 Hardly got a sniff and there were some games where it probably was worth a go until Dike came back and we signed 2 strikers in the window.

I’ve probably missed a few but that shows what little impression they made!

And so ends my 35th-ish season watching the Albion and what must be something like 20 years doing these reports.

I’m genuinely humbled and amazed by the support I got from readers all over the world for running the marathon last week. It was a tough day in the heat but I got through it. There are pictures and and a bit more below on my page here:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/brendan-clegg-2

I’m so grateful for your support and I did shout out the name of everyone who donated along the way.

Thanks for putting up with my howls into the ether; my despair, biases, frustration, deluded optimism and occasional flights of fancy or terrible jokes. I feel the heartfelt written form, and the thought and reflection behind it, is dying a bit - and I love all the new mediums too - but I’ll hopefully keep going and I hope the other contributors I enjoy reading so much do the same.

Have a great summer, see you next season!

Baggyjon:

Thank you Brendan for all your incise and intuitive reports and comments. The first blog I turn to on a Sunday morning.

One person who I think needs a special mention is Mr Patel who has saved the club from possible extinction.

Next season will be a struggle but I am optimistic that with a more progressive and energetic manager we can build a team around some of our promising younger players but an addition of one or two hardened ex-premier players like Johnny Evans or Gareth Barry of late would not go amiss.

Kev Buckley:

In a game that meant nothing for the Albion, caretaker boss Mozza seemed to forget about caring for Dike's gradual recuperation and started him for the first time in two years, albeit with Grant up alongside him so as to share the load.

Then, as if to highlight one of the bigger issues of recent times, our front two were not be served by two wingers, with Price the latest "not a left winger" to be asked to "do a job" on the left side of midfield. The bench did contain two left wingers though, Johnston and the "on his way out" Diangana, but at least Fellows started on the right wing.

A pretty scrappy first five minutes, in which Luton, who did have something to play for, had the ascendency, was followed by three minutes of goal action, first, as Fellows, having seen a cross from just inside the box blocked, cut even further inside and left off a left-foot shot that beat the keeper at his near post.

That lead didn't last long though, with Albion losing the ball twice before a Luton striker went one-on-one against Bartley and beat the newly re-contracted "stopper" all ends up before levelling.

Although Luton were now back where they'd started the day - so out of the bottom three - they still needed a win to ensure their safety but the next twenty minutes hardly saw them going for it, before yet another two goals in double quick time - but this time both for the Albion - effectively took the Hatters' survival out of their hands.

On the stroke of the half-hour, Styles floated in a cross that Dike, given the freedom of the box up until the moment he had to head it, goalwards, scored from the edge of the six-yard box, before playing his part as a target man in accepting a sublime flick, through the middle, from Price and setting up Fellows, also free to run in on goal straight through the heart of the Luton defence, and clip one over the isolated keeper.

With five to go to the break, Styles, with not the first of some poor passing efforts over the whole game, forced Griffiths into action in order to deny a player played in on goal.

Five minutes after the restart Bartley was fouled and spent some time on the deck, tried to play on, but then went down again, and was replaced by Ajayi, the latter going onto show that when he leaves, we'll be missing a centre-back who is really comfortable bringing the ball out from the back.

Albion were dominating the game by now though and Styles, of all people, popped up in the No. 9 area to poke in a cross from the right by Furlong, which started off yet another short burst of goalmouth action around the hour mark, Grant only able to hit the post after great work by Dike, and then Styles, popping up at the top of the box to drive in a shot that took a deflection that completely wrong-footed the keeper.

Five-one to the Albion as the hour passed signalled the start of the end of season run outs, with Armstrong on for Dike, and Molumby, suspended, of course, for the pointy end of the season, on for Diakite.

Luton scored with a nice curling effort into the bottom corner, from 25 yards at sixty-five passed, before Whitwell got a run out, replacing Price, and Diangana, effectively the left-winger that time, and the Albion, forgot, came on, for one last time, for our right-winger. Somehow fitting: somewhat sad.

Luton would score once more, although, but for a fine save from Griffiths, they might have made the six minutes of time allowed, a bit more interesting for them, but it was all a bit "too little; too late", an epithet that could equally be applied to Albion's lasy day win.

Does it tell us much, if anything, about next season though? No it doesn't, so let's just leave this season there as a "what might have been".

As ever, huge kudos to Brendan for his reports, and indeed to everyone else who occasionally sends Finbarr their thoughts on the games for the website.