Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Sun 19 April 2026 8:00, UK

West Bromwich Albion will be breathing a sigh of relief at the bottom end of the Championship after beating Preston North End 2-0.

Josh Maja would open the scoring for the Baggies after just 11 minutes, hammering home after a wonderful move, before Daryl Dike finally ended his goal drought as he sealed the deal with just over 10 minutes to go.

Saturday’s result leaves Albion five points clear of the drop zone, labelling them as clear favourites to go on and secure survival, even with a potential points deduction on the cards.

James Morrison would take over at The Hawthorns back in February, after fans endured a dismal spell under Eric Ramsay.

Since then, West Brom have continued to shift through the gears, and the latest prediction from Opta’s supercomputer will have them breathing a big sigh of relief.

Comfortable end to the season predicted for resurgent West Brom

After a run of three successive draws, Morrison’s side picked up their first win since returning from the international break as they made the trip to Deepdale.

And the timing of said win could not have been better, with West Brom in a state of panic this week over an alleged PSR breach.

Based on current form, the latest prediction from Opta’s supercomputer hands Albion a small 3.5 per cent chance of relegation – something inconceivable just over a month ago.

Expected to finish five points ahead of Oxford, even a potential deduction would not cause the Baggies too much of an issue in the battle.

And even with this in mind, it would not be too ambitious to suggest that Morrison’s side are not capable of picking up a good points haul in their remaining matches against Watford, Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday.

The Black Country club have performed excellently since the former midfielder took the job, who simply has to be in the run-in for full-time duties next season.

James Morrison to be considered as West Brom target reset

It has been a dismal season at The Hawthorns, with two projects failing under both Ryan Mason and Ramsay.

That has completely changed since Morrison took the reins amid the ongoing relegation battle.

He is loved by both players and supporters alike, while the back to basics approach has seen Albion regain defensive solidity, while there is much more cohesion in the final third.

While the debate is there to be had about whether Morrison is ready to build his own side or whether hiring an interim manager is the best idea, he simply has to be considered.

Since falling to defeat in his first match against Oxford, he has remained unbeaten in eight matches at the helm, which itself does not point to this being simply an interim bounce.

With survival now looking to be on the cards, the Baggies can begin planning for the future, and that future could well have Morrison at the centre of it.