We paid for lack of ruthlessness – West Brom's Jed Wallace
Jed Wallace reckons Albion's failure to land a play-off place was down to a lack of clinical ruthlessness on goal.
Albion's push to finish in the top six under Carlos Corberan went down to the final day but defeat at Swansea was irrelevant as Sunderland won elsewhere.
It was an impressive feat to have taken the charge until the final hurdle after Spaniard Corberan took over a side in the relegation zone in October and Albion would sink to bottom after his first match.
Winger Wallace was a regular performer in his debut campaign at The Hawthorns and clocked up 50 appearances for the Baggies as one of only two outfield players in the division – alongside QPR's former Albion midfielder Sam Field – to start all 46 regular league games.
Albion were down near the foot of the table with Middlesbrough and Coventry City round the time of the head coach's appointment. The trio quickly turned their campaigns around and while the Baggies missed out on the top six, Boro and the Sky Blues lock horns in their semi-final second leg tomorrow.
"You've seen the upturn," Wallace said on Five Live's Football Daily podcast. "I think the three of us were in the bottom four after about ten games and those teams have done really, really well.
"The difference when you look at those two sides and ourselves has been that clinical, ruthless edge in front of goal. They've had (Viktor) Gyokeres, Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer."
Forward duo Brandon Thomas-Asante and Daryl Dike top scored in league action with just seven goals – though the former scored nine in all competitions.
Former Millwall flyer Wallace has backed Corberan, who is currently laying plans for his first Albion summer rebuild, as one of the division's best and fancies the club's chances with the Spaniard at the helm.
"Myself, Brandon Thomas-Asante, we've lost Daryl Dike (to injury), Swifty...we probably haven't scored as many goals as we should have.
"It's probably why we are where we are after the course of a long season, but in my opinion we have got one of the best managers in the division, so if we can keep players fit, going into next season I feel like we can really improve and certainly finish above the ninth where we finished last season."
Wallace added, reflecting on the campaign: "A bit deflated. It's been a really topsy turvy sort of season.
"We had 14 points after 17 games and, at one point, I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, and I'm looking over my shoulder when I've signed for West Brom'.
"We fought back with Carlos coming in. He's been an amazing addition to the club. We've really, really improved in his time there."
The 29-year-old believes Albion paid for a loss of momentum in the closing stages of the season. Corberan's injury-ravaged side failed to string a trio of league wins together from mid-January onwards.
"We've reflected in the last few days and it was probably a little bit of a loss of momentum in recent weeks and injuries to five or six of our starting XI at the wrong time hasn't helped us," Wallace said.
"We did have it in our hands a couple of times and didn't find ways to win those games. Over the course of the season we probably finished where we deserved to be."
