Boiler Man axed at West Brom as mascot breaks silence on mystery Hawthorns absence
Ideal Heating mascot Boiler Man – Joe James O’Neill – has taken to social media to explain his recent absence from West Brom matches.
O’Neill has worked as a mascot for Albion since 2015, taking on the role of Boiler Man since it was introduced in 2018.
However, he revealed on social media that the decision not to use the mascot recently was not in his hands and cannot be discussed publicly.
He wrote on X: “I have worked at the club since 2015 supporting as club mascot, in more recent seasons as the Boiler Man mascot. During these nine years I have had some of my most incredible experiences, mostly working alongside our late Richard Eades who will forever stay in my heart and with my god friend Dave Challoner, [who] most of you will know as Baggie Bird. I have given so much time to this role, appearing at events such as family fun days, Christmas parties, marketing days, TV shows and charitable events.
“As many of you have noticed, the mascot has not been out for a while now and this is something that has been completely out of my control, and I am unable to comment on the reasons why. I want to thank everyone who has reached out to inquire about the boiler mascot. For all those individuals who have reached out to ask for photos with little ones, I can only apologise for not being there recently, however, it is important to note that this has not been a decision made by myself.
“What I can say is, this period of time out has given me the opportunity to reflect on the days when, like yourselves, I could enjoy being a fan. Whether it’s having a chicken tikka masala in Sukhi’s before the game, seeing my kids walk out as mini mascots against the Wolves, enjoying a pie and a pint at half-time or seeing my kids’ faces light up [at] seeing their first home goal. All [of] these [are] things I had been missing out on whilst doing the mascot.
“For this reason I have made the decision to step back. It is time to hang up my boots and return to the Hawthorns like the good old days, with the addition of having the family in tow. I look forward to seeing you all as a fellow fan and want to thank you all again for your love and support over the past nine years.”
West Brom must chase promotion without long-serving mascot
The reasons behind the Boiler Man mascot no longer featuring in the matchday experience at The Hawthorns are unlikely to be revealed as the Baggies push for a strong end to the Championship campaign.
Carlos Corberan’s men remain in fifth place despite their disappointing 1-0 defeat against Sunderland at The Hawthorns last time out – with Brandon Thomas-Asante getting sent off just before half-time – and look likely to secure a top-six finish with three league games of the season remaining against title-chasing Leicester City, relegation strugglers Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End, who are 10th.
The gap between West Brom and seventh-placed Hull City stands at seven points – though the Tigers have a game in hand – while Norwich City are just a point below the Baggies in sixth.
It is a strong position that Corberan’s side find themselves in, but the head coach will not be focused simply on how many points are required to finish in the top six, but on generating momentum to carry with them into the playoffs, where they will likely face one of the current top four of Ipswich Town, Leicester, Leeds United and Southampton, who have all produced strong campaigns and evidence of their own promotion credentials.
However the end of West Brom’s season shapes up, the Hawthorns will look a little different without their long-serving mascot.
In other West Brom news, Tony Brown has hailed one Baggies player for his “brilliant” actions against Sunderland.
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