Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Fri 24 April 2026 7:00, UK

West Bromwich Albion supporters are set for a party atmosphere on Saturday as Ipswich Town head to The Hawthorns for the Baggies’ final home game of the season.

James Morrison has more than fulfilled his brief since stepping into the job in February.

After the dismal reigns of Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay, Albion had been dragged steadily towards a relegation battle as the campaign wore on.

A 2-1 defeat at Oxford in Morrison’s first game in charge only deepened the sense of concern.

Since then, however, he has overseen a nine-match unbeaten run to secure Championship survival with two games to spare, setting the scene for a potentially terrific atmosphere as promotion-chasing Ipswich arrive.

West Brom run could be set to end as promotion chasers make trip

Throughout this sensational run of results, Morrison’s side have claimed several notable scalps.

A victory over Hull, coupled with draws against Southampton and Millwall, has showcased Albion’s ability to stand firm against the promotion chasers – an encouraging sign ahead of Ipswich’s visit.

According to Opta’s latest supercomputer prediction, repeating such a result against the Tractor Boys may be a step too far, with West Brom given just a 30.6 per cent chance of victory.

Kieran McKenna’s side sit second in the table, level on points with Millwall just behind them, although a crucial game in hand leaves them favourites, for now at least, to go up alongside Coventry, barring a late collapse.

The East Anglian club were relegated from the Premier League last May and will be determined to bounce straight back, having come far closer to survival than many expected.

West Brom set for fantastic Hawthorns atmosphere

It hardly needs saying now, but Morrison has confounded expectations since taking the reins.

Albion were a side that simply could not buy a win before his arrival, and even nine games ago the notion of this kind of run would have been dismissed out of hand.

The Baggies, though, do not find themselves in this position by accident, and that has inevitably led to the question as to whether Morrison has done enough to earn the West Brom job on a permanent basis next season.

Morrison has profiled his players astutely and done an excellent job of extracting the best from every member of the squad.

Defensively, Albion hunt in packs, while there is a threat at the other end too, with even Daryl Dike ending his drought in the recent win over Preston.

Revived under a former fan favourite, the atmosphere at The Hawthorns is set to be electric for Saturday’s final home game, and Albion may yet have a major say in the promotion race.