Bristol City v West Brom - Match preview

It wasn’t long ago, October 18 to be precise, on a bleak Hawthorns evening that a rudderless Albion side without the stewardship of a permanent boss were toyed with as the Robins eased to victory.

Nigel Pearson’s visitors were 2-0 to the good at half-time and basically declared at the interval. Most of an Albion persuasion in The Hawthorns that evening felt City were the best side they had seen this season.

Richard Beale, the hosts’ under-21s boss, had taken charge of the game before Carlos Corberan’s appointment. Beale acted on the back of that dismal defeat by shuffling his pack drastically for the trip to Millwall that followed, where Albion improved.

We all know the Baggies are a much different proposition under their new Spanish head coach, who yesterday marked two months at the helm.

Bristol City climbed to 12th with Albion down in 22nd after that meeting in October. Now today’s Ashton Gate visitors sit two places clear, in 16th. It’s not the dizzying, heady heights fans travelling down the M5 would have hoped for on Boxing Day, but it is much rosier than what could have been were it not for those five wins on the spin recently.

The table might have been more attractive still, had Corberan’s men made it six in a row at Coventry last midweek and climbed eight places to eighth in the second-tier standings.

But fans are relaxed and confident enough to know that, with the Championship mid-table still mightily compact at this halfway stage, another run of results half as good as what went before it can catapult their side into the play-off mix.

With almost all teams now on 23 games – eighth-placed Coventry have a game in hand to come against rock-bottom Huddersfield – Albion have faced every side the division has to offer. There is little to fear generally, despite their lowly position.

Corberan’s side are on the back foot somewhat with an extra busy festive schedule due to facing Sunderland on a Monday night and then a game in hand at the Sky Blues.

The head coach had his players in to train late on Christmas Day yesterday, under the lights at The Hawthorns, before the squad set off for Bristol last night.

“We are in a privileged position because we do a job we like, but it is a job that makes us make sacrifices as staff, as players,” Corberan said about working over Christmas. “I have missed important family and friends’ celebrations, but because you have the habit since you were a child – you play football at the weekend – it’s the priority in our lives.

“Part of the enjoyment of the Christmas period here in England is our job, but I like to say to my players that for the players at home on Boxing Day, watching the TV, they will be jealous of the players playing in the games – 100 per cent, because it’s very special here.

“We do make sacrifices that are part of our jobs, so once you think like that...I’m not thinking will I enjoy Christmas or not, I’m thinking that there is work. But I don’t live as one sacrifice - I live as one dream.”