It was an unprecedented season for Albion as they tackled Europe for the first time and recorded the third highest league position of their history.

These were some of the highs and lows of the 2023-24 campaign.

Goal of the season

Last season it was their last home goal which took the honours, this time it was their first away goal of the campaign. Kaoru Mitoma’s sensational solo effort at Wolves is an obvious winner because it was of those rare moments which actually had you questioning what you had just seen with your own eyes. The goal finished by Pascal Gross at Old Trafford after a sublime 30-pass move would have been a worthy winner in many years.

Most enjoyable game

The Europa League was what made this season special so let’s look there. Both Marseille games stand out but I’d probably opt for the win at Ajax. One of the great clubs and a magnificent arena with a stunning build-up to the game under the closed roof. No, it was not a great Ajax team but they were not as bad as many painted them and, with nothing to lose, they kept throwing on attacking players. Albion winning at Ajax is there in the history books. Unless I missed it, Pascal Gross DIDN’T do a Cruyff turn at the Cruyff Arena. And it had even stopped raining by the time the post-match parties started in Amsterdam.

Most enjoyable domestic game

Albion won 3-1 at Manchester United on the day RDZ first made sweeping line-up changes which suggested to some that he had prioritised the European debut against AEK. Yes, the result was put into context by the way other teams also went to Old Trafford and won but the manner of the performance made this special and they should have added to their tally. To round things off, Ansu Fati went on to launch what we thought would be a glittering loan spell.

Most disappointing match

The 6-1 defeat at Aston Villa and some of those big setbacks in 2024 are obvious choices. Drawing at home to Sheffield United and Burnley were awful wastes of points. But, while it wasn’t the heaviest scoreline, the 3-0 reverse at Fulham felt particularly depressing on the walk back along the banks of the Thames.

Records set

Albion equalled their highest ever score away from home in the top flight (four), then beat it by winning 5-0 at Sheffield United. Evan Ferguson scored the club’s first ever top-flight hat-trick in a home game, the previous three having all come away. They went on a run of 12 games undefeated at home and, when they beat Crystal Palace 4-1, they fielded their youngest Prem starting XI with an average age of 23 years and 284 days. Talking of which….

Off to a flyer

Albion ran up their biggest score over their M23 rivals since the days when the M23 did not exist and two clubs weren’t rivals. Lewis Dunk’s early goal set the mood that day. We later had the sight of Albion fans watching the second goal replayed on the big screens, only to be distracted by their team going through to score the third on the pitch.

Off to a shocker

The definition of a bad start at Luton used to be Adam Virgo and Michel Kuipers colliding in the Checkatrade Trophy, southern area semi-final, second leg. Albion took that to a new level by going 2-0 down inside three minutes. Luton pressed with energy and intensity to swarm all over the Seagulls, three days after Chris Wilder had told Sheffield United fans the only way to play against them was to sit back.

Biggest momentum shift

There was a moment at Nottingham Forest when Jack Hinshelwood was charging forward to potentially put Albion 4-1 up at an unusually subdued City Ground. Next thing we knew, he didn’t score, a penalty was awarded at the other end, Lewis Dunk was sent off and Nottingham Forest made it 3-2. Albion went from a cruise to being battered and the celebrations were understandable as they clinched a first Prem win in seven.

Best comeback from injury

Pervis Estupinan scored a beauty against Tottenham, then shouted “I’m back” into the TV camera before wishing his mum Happy Birthday. He also had time to fire home a cracker at Stoke before injury finally ended his season. A mention too for the way Jakub Moder coped after being thrown into a storm at Nottingham Forest, just after their second goal, for his first action in 19 months.

Worst comeback from injury

Estupinan again, who was welcomed back at Ajax and, just a few minutes later, gave the ball away for a chance and remained seated on the Amsterdam turf after suffering another setback.

Making life hard

Albion conceded the first goal in 20 Prem games (six of them inside 15 minutes), compared to only 14 occasions in 2022-23. To their credit, they came from 0-1 down to win on three occasions (Bournemouth and Brentford at home, Forest away) and averaged 0.70 points per game when conceding first, compared to 0.57 in 2022-23. But clearly they had to chase games too often.

Good start but....

Albion only scored first in 15 Prem games (compared to 22 in the previous season), including three of the first four, all of which were won convincingly. But even then, there was a habit of conceding late goals. It did not cost them points against Luton, Wolves or Newcastle but really annoyed Roberto De Zerbi. And it was to catch up with them when the leads were of a single goal rather three or four. They dropped points in six of the subsequent 12 games in which they led 1-0. Albion averaged 2.07 points in games where they scored first compared to 2.36 in such matches the previous season.

By contrast…

Albion had a lot more success in maintaining advantages in Europe. They kept five clean sheets in their last six Europa games and did not concede for the final seven hours of Group B play. While that was to their credit, there were escapes along the way. The biggest was either the Brian Brobbey shot which struck both posts at Ajax or the moment AEK hit the bar and put the rebound over an open goal.

No harm done

Albion replaced one near-perfect penalty-taker with another as Joao Pedro took over from Alexis Mac Allister. The latter’s only failure from the spot had seen him score a few minutes later, at Wolves. Joao Pedro’s only slip-up saw him head home the rebound.

Missing pieces

While Mac Allister had a better season for his new club than Moises Caicedo, Caicedo was the player Albion missed most. Billy Gilmour emerged but is a different type of player. Perhaps the most unexpected attempt to fill the Caicedo hole as a protective midfielder was when Jan Paul van Hecke took that role at Fulham.

Abiding memories

From Europe – and not necessarily the football itself. From a personal point of view, the first sight of the Amex dressed for the Europa League. How a home game felt familiar but also somehow different. Working until 4am post-match in Athens (only 2am our time) to make time to visit the Acropolis on Friday morning. A long walk in the cold, clear air of Amsterdam after the Ajax game. Taking eyes away from the pitch and laptop just for a few moments at Marseille to appreciate the atmosphere. Pre-match singing at Roma. On the pitch? The last five minutes at home to Marseille. And, domestically, Joao Pedro’s goal at home to Crystal Palace.