[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

A year of fairly mixed fortunes for Albion draws to a close in the coming fortnight, and while our fate for the season won't be decided within the festive period, it is (as always) a fair barometer of what changes need to be made in January, and what we can expect if the shortcomings aren't addressed. In some respects, last week was an improvement of Albion's recent fortunes - "win one, lose one" is always a better strategy in a promotion race than "draw them both" - but as the Yuletide schedule pits us against four of our fellow mid-table muddlers, we can't afford to sink back into our autumn malaise. Frankly, if Father Christmas doesn't have a sack stuffed with goals, clean sheets and points galore, then he can take his lumps of coal and jog on to Molineux.

Our last pre-Christmas game is the ideal place to start, as Bristol City visit the Hawthorns tomorrow as the third opponent in our month of Sundays. We've lost to them just once in our last eight league encounters, and each of our five wins in that period came by a margin of two goals or more; though clinging to the coat-tails of the playoff race, they're winless so far this month. Though Liam Manning has, like Corberan, done his damnedest to make his side tough to beat, and a lot of the smart money is on a cagey stalemate, Albion quite simply need wins from somewhere. The red, red Robins have come bob-bob-bobbing along at the ideal time for a Baggies side who've had a week's rest and are showing signs of settling into a consistent first XI, and we absolutely have to target them for three points.

Win tomorrow, and we ease the pressure for a result in the back-to-back away fixtures that follow Christmas: first a trip to Derby on Boxing Day, whose last home outing was a 4-0 trouncing of Pompey, then an anything's-a-bonus visit to Bramall Lane next Sunday. However the results come, we'll be wanting a second win under our belt by the time the final whistle's blown on New Year's Day, when we host Preston at the Hawthorns; fail to do so, and our last chance to compensate will come on the first weekend of 2025, which takes us to South Wales for an ever-tricky clash with Swansea.

Whether you make it to the games or not, I hope everyone has a happy and safe Christmas, and that the new year will treat us well.

Christmas & New Year Fixtures

Bristol City (H), Sun 22/12 - 15:00
Derby (A), Thu 26/12 - 17:30
Sheff Utd (A), Sun 29/12 - 12:30
Preston (H), Wed 01/01 - 15:00
Swansea (A), Sat 04/01 - 12:30