[themaclad]

The interesting backdrop to this one is will one manager be in charge of the other side before the end of the season, according to Sky Neil has asked for assurances about the budget at Albion for next seaon but more importantly about what interference he will get in respects of first team matters from those in charge above him.
Add into the mix two sides in average form, unhappiness on the home terraces and the annual Gentry Day for away fans, could be an interesting afternoon for both sets of supporters. We still have hopes of the end of season play offs but very slim they are add into that injuries we have at the moment have hobbled us greatly.
Albion having lost their last two need a decent result under acting manager Jimmy Shan(pictured in his days as a Scottish Band member) had started well however recent results have got the Albion owners paincking they need to go up otherwise it could be a very long summer of players leaving through the exit door given their wage bill is reported to £37 million

Not been to the Hawthorns since 2001 when we lost 3-0 Lee Hughes hattrick, Gregan was sent off for us, however the Hawthorns was the scene of my only ever season were I went to every game that was 1991/1992 last game of the season 2 all draw.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club (/ˈbrɒmɪdʒ, -ɪtʃ/) is a football club in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. The club was formed in 1878 and has played at its home ground, The Hawthorns, since 1900. Albion currently play in the Championship, the second tier of English football, having been relegated from the Premier League in 2017–18.

Albion were one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888, and have spent the majority of their existence in the top tier of English football. They have been champions of England once, in 1919–20, and have been runners-up twice. They have had more success in the FA Cup, winning it five times. The first came in 1888, the year the league was founded, and the most recent in 1968, their last major trophy. They also won the Football League Cup at the first attempt in 1966. The club's longest continuous period in the top division spanned 24 years between 1949 and 1973, and from 1986 to 2002 they spent their longest ever spell out of the top division.

The team has played in navy blue and white stripes for most of the club's history; and the club badge features a throstle perched on a hawthorn branch. Albion have a number of long-standing rivalries with other West Midlands clubs; their traditional rivals being Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Albion contest the Black Country Derby with the latter.
First Team News
Team News: West Bromwich Albion

Preston North End manager Alex Neil it could be one in and one out in terms of player availability for the Gentry Day trip to face West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns.

Ben Pearson sits out his first of three games for the sending-off he received early in the second half against Leeds United on Tuesday night, but Paul Gallagher should be fit to return after missing the clash with the Whites at Deepdale.

Brad Potts is not expected to make it and will join long-term casualties Billy Bodin and Josh Harrop (both ACL), Tom Barkhuizen (knee) and Andrew Hughes (hamstring) on the sidelines.

Captain Tom Clarke is another still out on the equation for the manager, along with Manchester City loanee Brandon Barker, whose hamstring problem has ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign as well.
West Brom caretaker boss James Shan was able to select Craig Dawson for their loss at Bristol City on Tuesday night. The experienced defender had missed the previous Saturday’s defeat at Millwall with a sickness bug.

Dawson’s return was timely one as fellow defender Ahmed Hegazi was suspended against City after his red card at the Den. Matt Phillips has this week returned to training as well and he should come into the reckoning against the Lilywhites, giving Shan further options on the attacking front.

This weekend a select group – Premier League – official has been appointed for the Lilywhites’ Gentry Day trip to face West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns.
The referee will be Roger East, who is the match official of a Preston North End game for the first time in four and a half years.

Roger’s last PNE game was under the management of Simon Grayson in November 2014 when Callum Robinson scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory over Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

It is even longer since he refereed at Deepdale – a 3-0 home win over Stevenage in September 2013 being the match official’s last trip to PR1.

His very first game in charge of PNE was way back in March 2008, his first year on the EFL lists, when we won 1-0 at Leicester City’s then Walker’s Stadium, Darren Carter scoring a stunning 25-yard winner in the last minute.
He has refereed a further three North End games, including the last of Graham Westley’s tenure as boss at Yeovil Town in February 2013.

Joining Roger this weekend will be assistant referees Peter Kirkup and Mark Scholes, whilst Isle of Wight select group two official James Linnington will be the fourth official.

This will be the ref’s 24 game of the season, having so far issued 85 cautions and no red cards and it will also be his first Baggies game of the campaign and his first trip to the Hawthorns since their 1-1 draw with Swansea City on 7th April 2018.

[themaclad]

West Bromwich Albion 4 Gayle 3 Rodriguez Preston North End 1 Robinson

WBA line-up: Johnstone, Gibbs (Townsend, 60), Bartley, Johansen, Livermore (Phillips, 70), Brunt ©, Gayle, Rodriguez, Dawson, Hegazi (Adarabioyo, 52), Holgate. Subs not used: Bond, Robson-Kanu, Harper, Murphy.

PNE line-up: Rudd, Fisher, Earl, Ledson, Storey, Davies, Nmecha, Johnson, Stockley (Maguire, 46), Browne (Ginnelly, 86), Gallagher © (Robinson, 41). Subs not used: Crowe, Moult, Rafferty, Ginnelly, Huntington.

Attendance: 25,088 (2,752 PNE fans)

Referee: Mr R East

Whether this game was lost on the off field activities of both clubs is a valid questions, did look like one team playing to impress a new manager whilst the other seemed to have come to the conclusion that their manager was on to pastures new i.e the Hawthorns.
North End were well beaten, looked beaten in the pre match warm up and for vast periods of this game, although until the first went in actually thought we competed pretty well also saying that Albion did have chances Bartley headed into the side netting and Rudd had to race from his goal to deny Johansen who was sent clear by a great clearance by Sam Johnstone.
The goal came out of nothing Brunt's inch perfect 40 yard ball behind Davies was excellent as was Gayle's first time volley was superb, can't stop them.
The second was comedy Josh Earl did really well to initially clear the danger but undid all his work by passing the ball to an Albion player, the ball ended up at Gayle's feet it was two.
Just before half time it was three Johansen's shot was going well wide until if found Rodriguez in space and he easily made it three, points in the bag by Half.
https://youtu.be/_StrKUDVPrs
Second half we gave it a go couldn't really do anything else, Robinson was unlucky when he just failed to connect with the ball at the back post also Nmecha got into good positions but his final ball was wasteful.
Albion increased their lead following a corner given after Gayle's fre kick had been well saved by Rudd, the corner bobbed around the six yard box until Gayle headed home his hat trick goal.
We kept plugging away, Ginnelly came on to mke his North End debut and in the dying embers of the game Robinson forced the ball home from close range after good work by Maguire.
Neil scurried off down the tunnel at the end whether he will be in the Albion dug out next Friday time will tell, needs sorting out ASAP, the supportes deserve better

West Bromwich Albion caretaker manager James Shan on job speculation and performance:

"They [the club] have asked me to look after first-team affairs until further notice and that is where we sit and where I am now.

"After two negative results I was delighted with the performance, the four goals scored and most importantly the three points.

"They (Gayle and Rodriguez) are both fighting it out to be our top goalscorer. I thought that to get our two highest scorers on the pitch was really important.

"Knowing the pair of them, the way that are around the training ground and how competitive they are, being level pegging, it can only bode well for the football club in our remaining fixtures."

On the speculation linking him to the vacant West Brom managerial job Alex Neil told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"I know people have been speaking about speculation and I certainly felt that got to the players today.

"Disappointing for us, we're a really young squad and I think it shows. Not just making decisions on the pitch but also it became a little bit of a pantomime before the game.

I actually saw it in (the players') eyes before the match and that's the disappointing thing. It's not my doing but it has affected them and it's affected our fans which I apologised for. And for that it makes me really frustrated."