Albion 0, Wolves 1
James Wilson was not the only one sick at this latest blow to Albion's promotion bid.
A horrible injury list, a heavy Amex pitch, defensive errors and missed chances have conspired to leave a queasy feeling normally associated at this time of year with too much turkey and booze.
Chris Hughton and his players must be glad to see the back of the festive season.
Perhaps we should have feared the worst when Wilson, unwell over Christmas and therefore restricted to bit-part roles in the games against Brentford and Ipswich, spewed up on the pitch shortly before kick-off on his return to the starting line-up.
The run Albion have been on since their last win at home to Charlton on December 5 is enough to make anyone vomit.
When they came from two early goals down to beat Charlton they were still unbeaten after 19 matches and two points clear at the top of the table.
Six winless outings, three straight home defeats and four games without a goal later, they could be down to fifth by this evening, eight points adrift of Middlesbrough.
The sequence of fixtures was daunting, especially those three in quick succession prior to Christmas at Derby, QPR and at home to Boro, but three points from a possible 18 is nightmare territory after what had gone before.
There are reasons for it, top of which is that casualty list. Solly March's serious knee injury at Derby, just when he was in a rich vein of form and on top of Kazenga LuaLua's long-term absence, has deprived Hughton of penetrative width.
This was exacerbated against Wolves by the ineligibility of Rajiv van La Parra to conclude his loan period against his parent club.
The Dutchman may be back to part-fill the hole left by March, depending on whether Wolves are prepared to loan him out again or want to sell.
Hughton reverted back to 4-4-2 yesterday, partnering Wilson with Bobby Zamora for the first time since the Charlton victory in the search for goals but it was a narrow, lopsided four in the middle with Andrew Crofts moved to the right.
The pitch, used also for the Rugby World Cup, under-21s fixtures both club and country and by the women in torrential rain the day after the Charlton game, has deteriorated in recent weeks.
Bruno, deputising as captain again with Gordon Greer not quite ready to return from hamstring trouble, and Beram Kayal both referred to the difficulties of the pitch when asked about it in post-match interviews, as Hughton had previously.
None of them have used it as an excuse and no blame can be attached to the diligent groundstaff but Albion were bogged down by it against Wolves. Their attacking efforts throughout a dominant second half lacked zip and tempo, factors not helped by the state of the playing surface.
The defensive errors can be partially linked to the injury list. Hughton has been forced to chop and change in the centre of defence, Uwe Huenemeier joining the long-term casualties against Boro with groin damage, while Greer was hamstrung at Brentford on Boxing Day.
That has left Connor Goldson partnering Lewis Dunk, whose reckless red card at QPR probably cost Albion two points.
Both have immense promise but they are young and more prone to mistakes. After Dunk let the ball under his feet for the only goal of the game against Ipswich on Tuesday, it was Goldson's turn this time on only his second start against his home town club.
He accidentally poked Jordan Graham's left-wing cross past David Stockdale at the near post to gift Wolves something to cling onto.
Their game plan was just as it was in previous clean sheet victories against Reading and Charlton, which eased the pressure on Kenny Jackett after they were sliding towards relegation peril.
Wanderers flooded the midfield, left the talented Benik Afobe an isolated figure up front and challenged Albion to break them down.
They failed, which brings me to those missed chances. There were not many of them, actually, falling into the clearcut category, which was disappointing considering they had 64 per cent of the possession.
The best two were in the early stages of the second half when Wolves, who had already been content to get ten men behind the ball, dropped even deeper to invite pressure.
Dunk, set-up by Goldson, half-volleyed over from ten yards. Jamie Murphy followed suit from only marginally further out after a patient build-up.
Despite Albion's supremacy Stockdale, in fact, had more significant saves to make than his opposite number Carl Ikeme.
The Wolves custodian tipped over Wilson's shot in a vibrant start to the game by Albion but he was not seriously stretched again until deep into stoppage time, when Goldson and Dunk combined again.
Goldson's cross was met by Dunk with a firm header from six yards, which Ikeme again diverted over the bar to deny Albion a point.
It was not the closest they came to equalising. That was with five minutes left, when Bruno thundered a right-foot shot against the bar from 20 yards.
The cruel irony was the first goal scored by an Albion defender this season - a damning statistic when there have otherwise been so many favourable ones - came at the wrong end.
Wolves, curiously and flatteringly considering the pattern of the contest, could have scored more. Stockdale was kept on his toes by shots from Afobe, on the break, and James Henry in the first half, then by Conor Coady from distance deep into the second.
Hughton, although concerned and frustrated, was also sanguine about Albion's slide. He said: "When you have been in the game as long as I have you know you are going to hit these periods and it's whether in these periods you can find a way of getting a result.
"We are stretched (by injuries) at this moment, there is no doubt about that, and playing with two up front is the best way we have of trying to get the goals that we need.
"I couldn't fault the application and a lot of players - Bruno, Dale Stephens, Kayal and Murphy - are playing every game. So I can't fault that, we just need to find that way.
"Unfortunately we've made a couple of defensive errors in the last couple of games that have given teams a head start. He (Goldson) will be (disappointed), there's no doubt about that, but he will be better for it.
"The last two games, apart from the error, he's been very good. He has showed he is a young, bright prospect and we look forward to seeing more of him. I think he'll end up playing many games for us."
All is far from lost, with 63 points still to play for, but the chances of Goldson playing games in the Premier League next season have diminished in the last four weeks.
Original article
James Wilson was not the only one sick at this latest blow to Albion's promotion bid.
A horrible injury list, a heavy Amex pitch, defensive errors and missed chances have conspired to leave a queasy feeling normally associated at this time of year with too much turkey and booze.
Chris Hughton and his players must be glad to see the back of the festive season.
Perhaps we should have feared the worst when Wilson, unwell over Christmas and therefore restricted to bit-part roles in the games against Brentford and Ipswich, spewed up on the pitch shortly before kick-off on his return to the starting line-up.
The run Albion have been on since their last win at home to Charlton on December 5 is enough to make anyone vomit.
When they came from two early goals down to beat Charlton they were still unbeaten after 19 matches and two points clear at the top of the table.
Six winless outings, three straight home defeats and four games without a goal later, they could be down to fifth by this evening, eight points adrift of Middlesbrough.
The sequence of fixtures was daunting, especially those three in quick succession prior to Christmas at Derby, QPR and at home to Boro, but three points from a possible 18 is nightmare territory after what had gone before.
There are reasons for it, top of which is that casualty list. Solly March's serious knee injury at Derby, just when he was in a rich vein of form and on top of Kazenga LuaLua's long-term absence, has deprived Hughton of penetrative width.
This was exacerbated against Wolves by the ineligibility of Rajiv van La Parra to conclude his loan period against his parent club.
The Dutchman may be back to part-fill the hole left by March, depending on whether Wolves are prepared to loan him out again or want to sell.
Hughton reverted back to 4-4-2 yesterday, partnering Wilson with Bobby Zamora for the first time since the Charlton victory in the search for goals but it was a narrow, lopsided four in the middle with Andrew Crofts moved to the right.
The pitch, used also for the Rugby World Cup, under-21s fixtures both club and country and by the women in torrential rain the day after the Charlton game, has deteriorated in recent weeks.
Bruno, deputising as captain again with Gordon Greer not quite ready to return from hamstring trouble, and Beram Kayal both referred to the difficulties of the pitch when asked about it in post-match interviews, as Hughton had previously.
None of them have used it as an excuse and no blame can be attached to the diligent groundstaff but Albion were bogged down by it against Wolves. Their attacking efforts throughout a dominant second half lacked zip and tempo, factors not helped by the state of the playing surface.
The defensive errors can be partially linked to the injury list. Hughton has been forced to chop and change in the centre of defence, Uwe Huenemeier joining the long-term casualties against Boro with groin damage, while Greer was hamstrung at Brentford on Boxing Day.
That has left Connor Goldson partnering Lewis Dunk, whose reckless red card at QPR probably cost Albion two points.
Both have immense promise but they are young and more prone to mistakes. After Dunk let the ball under his feet for the only goal of the game against Ipswich on Tuesday, it was Goldson's turn this time on only his second start against his home town club.
He accidentally poked Jordan Graham's left-wing cross past David Stockdale at the near post to gift Wolves something to cling onto.
Their game plan was just as it was in previous clean sheet victories against Reading and Charlton, which eased the pressure on Kenny Jackett after they were sliding towards relegation peril.
Wanderers flooded the midfield, left the talented Benik Afobe an isolated figure up front and challenged Albion to break them down.
They failed, which brings me to those missed chances. There were not many of them, actually, falling into the clearcut category, which was disappointing considering they had 64 per cent of the possession.
The best two were in the early stages of the second half when Wolves, who had already been content to get ten men behind the ball, dropped even deeper to invite pressure.
Dunk, set-up by Goldson, half-volleyed over from ten yards. Jamie Murphy followed suit from only marginally further out after a patient build-up.
Despite Albion's supremacy Stockdale, in fact, had more significant saves to make than his opposite number Carl Ikeme.
The Wolves custodian tipped over Wilson's shot in a vibrant start to the game by Albion but he was not seriously stretched again until deep into stoppage time, when Goldson and Dunk combined again.
Goldson's cross was met by Dunk with a firm header from six yards, which Ikeme again diverted over the bar to deny Albion a point.
It was not the closest they came to equalising. That was with five minutes left, when Bruno thundered a right-foot shot against the bar from 20 yards.
The cruel irony was the first goal scored by an Albion defender this season - a damning statistic when there have otherwise been so many favourable ones - came at the wrong end.
Wolves, curiously and flatteringly considering the pattern of the contest, could have scored more. Stockdale was kept on his toes by shots from Afobe, on the break, and James Henry in the first half, then by Conor Coady from distance deep into the second.
Hughton, although concerned and frustrated, was also sanguine about Albion's slide. He said: "When you have been in the game as long as I have you know you are going to hit these periods and it's whether in these periods you can find a way of getting a result.
"We are stretched (by injuries) at this moment, there is no doubt about that, and playing with two up front is the best way we have of trying to get the goals that we need.
"I couldn't fault the application and a lot of players - Bruno, Dale Stephens, Kayal and Murphy - are playing every game. So I can't fault that, we just need to find that way.
"Unfortunately we've made a couple of defensive errors in the last couple of games that have given teams a head start. He (Goldson) will be (disappointed), there's no doubt about that, but he will be better for it.
"The last two games, apart from the error, he's been very good. He has showed he is a young, bright prospect and we look forward to seeing more of him. I think he'll end up playing many games for us."
All is far from lost, with 63 points still to play for, but the chances of Goldson playing games in the Premier League next season have diminished in the last four weeks.
Original article