Lewis Cox analysis: Football community unites to mourn dark West Brom day
It feels irrelevant to analyse a game of football after what Albion and their supporters went through on Saturday.
Almost 3,000 Baggies made the trip to Hillsborough and all should have returned home, but one did not.
The heartbreaking events that took place in the Leppings Lane end during the first half of Saturday lunchtime’s 3-2 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday overshadowed anything on the pitch and will no doubt have traumatised many Baggies who witnessed what unfolded high up in the away end.
It was confirmed, initially online by a family member and then by the club a few hours after full-time, that an Albion fan taken ill around half-hour into the clash had died.
All of our thoughts are with the family, friends and loved ones of the individual.
They are also with those hundreds, if not thousands, in the away stand who witnessed the events unfold and tried to mobilise help. Reports from those close to the scene were very difficult to stomach.
From our vantage point in the main stand, a good distance away, it was immediately clear something was wrong after about half-an-hour, as Albion fell 2-0 down to hosts Wednesday.
Fans frantically gestured for attention to stewards and officials. Eventually paramedics were seen climbing to the area of concern. Reports were a defibrillator was used and, later in the evening, an off-duty paramedic Albion fan wrote on social media how she had tried her best to save the fellow supporter’s life.
It was some 10 or 15 minutes the incident continued as action played out on the pitch. It felt uncomfortable the football continued, as the away end chanted “stop the game” to match officials. The situation was clearly serious.
As well as words of mourning, social media was awash with anger as to why it seemed to take such time for the response to kick in. We were not in the away end for an exact timeframe, but several hundred who witnessed the numbing events first-hand called for answers over the weekend.
In terms of a halting, EFL rules state that the crowd medical team, the ground safety team and match officials decide between themselves if a match needs to be paused. From what I could see, referee Ben Toner was in communication, holding his ear piece, and at various stages looked up to the away end. It appeared some players were aware too.
The club and its fans will pull together to offer all the love and support, as well as privacy, as the family of those affected grieve. The words from Psalm 23 never feel more poignant than in moments like this. Albion received the warm words of fellow clubs and supporters. A representative or supporter of the club had earlier laid a ‘YNWA 97’ blue and white striped Baggies shirt on the Hillsborough memorial outside the stadium. In tough times football fans pull together.
It was a dark day for the club. No football fan should go to a match and not return home. May he rest in peace.
On the pitch, Carlos Corberan’s Albion lost their unbeaten record to start the Championship campaign.
They almost rescued a very unlikely point and got themselves out of jail from a very below-par first-half performance, where Wednesday built a deserved lead.
Josh Maja halved the deficit after the hour with a seventh goal in seven games to start the season, a remarkable effort from the striker.
The visitors toiled but, while they improved in the second half, regular chances were not forthcoming and an equaliser looked unlikely.
It arrived six minutes from time through midfielder Alex Mowatt, the team’s metronome and linchpin, as his strike from 18 yards bounced into the floor and looped over James Beadle. It was a scrappy one and tough luck on the Owls.
Albion didn’t mind and were pleased to have seemingly maintained the unbeaten run despite an off-key display. But a frenzied finale was not done. Two minutes later and the relief at claiming a point transferred to disappointment as Anthony Musaba, who starred for the Owls in their 3-0 win over Albion in April, emerged from the bench as the match-winner.
Albion, still in an attacking mindset from their equaliser, had not recovered or reset from pulling level. In the end, Wednesday deserved the three points. Results elsewhere went Albion’s way and they stayed top.
But the trip to Hillsborough in September 2024 will not be remembered for any scoreline or performance, it will go down as a desperately sad day Albion lost one of their own who simply travelled to watch his beloved Baggies in action.
I hopethe family have been able to take some kind of comfort in the warm tributes from the club, fans and the wider football community.
