[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

The goal that was sixteen years in the making; Albion vs Crystal Palace, 21st April 2002

After nearly a month on the road, Albion return for a home fixture for the first time since the last-gasp draw against Swansea. Eight points separate us from the magic number, and the sooner we cover that ground, the better for all concerned. Last week's awful cup exit, as we know, led to some seriously bellendrical behaviour from one or two folks who are maybe better off leaving football to the grown-ups in future. It's good to see the positive response from our fans as a whole in the aftermath of that, even if I am a bit concerned about just how far the new Bruntomania initiatives are going to go this Saturday (I'm half-expecting to get to the ground and find a giant inflatable Brunty flying over the stadium, with Halfords Lane now renamed the Chris Brunt Expressway). Seriously though, do show your support for the bloke however you see fit this weekend, and remind him that his service is, and has always been, appreciated by the majority.

It'd be nice to think that this kind of positive atmosphere could really galvanise the team into delivering a proper reaction to last week's dismal showing, but I suppose we'll have to wait and see, as always. Most of us are losing patience with things as they are, many have lost it already, and it never takes much for a crowd to turn. Get the team right, get the mentality right, get the performance right, and hopefully the result should sort itself out.