West Brom official shares possible reason behind incident that left Ryan Mason fuming vs Derby
West Brom saw their unbeaten start to the new Championship season ended by Derby County on Saturday.
The Rams snatched a 1-0 win in The Hawthorns' 125th anniversary game, as Andreas Weimann's 84th-minute strike proved to be the difference between the two sides.
West Brom were sat second in the Championship heading into the clash, but have since slipped to fifth in the aftermath of their first league defeat of 2025/26.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Ryan Mason's men, and the boss was understandably angry with an incident that had a surprising effect on the game.
East Stand peregrine falcons responsible for pigeon incident
West Brom saw the special clash at The Hawthorns halted for a bizarre reason midway through the second half, when the game was delayed for a dead pigeon to be removed from the pitch.
Referee Ruebyn Ricardo halted play while the bird was removed from the playing surface, and it allowed both sets of managers to take the opportunity to take stock of the game and spend a little time weighing up any impending decisions.
The visitors certainly reacted as the better of the two teams when play resumed, and Weimann struck a late winner to secure all three points with their only shot on target of the afternoon.
The print edition of The Sun Goals (14 September) noted Derby boss John Eustace's acknowledgement of the fact that the delay helped him to assess his options in the latter stages of the game.
From an Albion perspective, Mason was said to be "fuming" with the delay, which has been suggested by one West Brom official to have been caused by the peregrine falcons that house in the East Stand.
Missed chances cost West Brom vs Derby County
Mason and his West Brom team may have been left frustrated by the bizarre incident in the second half, but they only really have themselves to blame for the result.
| West Brom | Stats | Derby |
| 1.15 | xG | 0.32 |
| 18 | Shots | 4 |
| 4 | Shots on Target | 1 |
| 146 | Passes in the Final Third | 24 |
| 32 | Touches in Opoosition Box | 9 |
| 1 | Big Chances | - |
The Baggies fired 18 shots across the 90 minutes and created an xG of 1.15, only for Derby goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom to be forced into just four saves.
Jayson Molumby struck the crossbar deep into stoppage time, but the hosts simply didn't fashion enough from the pressure that they created in the final third to win the game.
The late sucker punch was certainly unexpected, given the pattern that the game had followed, but it served as a stark reminder of what can happen if a team doesn't take their chances.
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