AFCB Vital Match Zone

First Game Of The 2021-22 Championship Season

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Written by billythekid

After his first game of the season in the League Cup, Scott Parker starts his first game as our manager in the Championship and our opponents are West Brom (the Baggies) one of the sides that came down with Parker’s old club Fulham from the Premier League. The game at Dean Court is on Friday night at 7.45 pm and it’s the first Championship game of the 2021-22 season, also live on Sky.

At the beginning of last season, our team was one of the favourites with some of the pundits to go back up at the first attempt, but that, unfortunately, didn’t turn out to be the case and we fell short at the final hurdle. This season with a new man in charge who took his team up (Fulham) from this league, even though it was for a short spell, there are hopes he might be the second manager to do the same at Dean Court, we will have to wait to see what happens after 46 league games.

West Brom have a new man in charge and someone the Cherries know as he was the former manager of Barnsley who finished one place and one point above AFCB in the Championship last season. Frenchman, Valerian Ismael replaces Sam Allardyce who left West Brom after their relegation from the Premier League. Ismael in his first season in charge at Barnsley did a very good job in getting them into the semi-finals of the play-offs. They went out at this stage having been beaten by Swansea City, the Cherries also lost out at this stage to Brentford, who finally took the third spot and went up into the top league.

Valerian Ismae wasted no time in snapping up his old captain at Barnsley midfield player Alex Mowatt who was out of contract. They have also brought in on loan from Brighton, defender Matthew Clarke. They have signed Adam Reach the winger from Sheffield Wednesday after his contract ended.

West Brom in recent seasons have been a club that has been toing and froing between the Championship and the Premier League bit like Norwich City. West Brom were promoted as runners up to Norwich City in 2013-14, the last season of Division 1 (renamed the Championship for the 2014-15 season), into the Premier League. They were in the top league for two seasons before being relegated back into the Championship. But after two seasons in the Championship they were back in the PL for just the 2008-09 season before dropping down again, but the following season they were back in the top league for the 2010-11 season. This time they remained there until the end of the 2017-18 season when they were relegated. From 2018-19 until the end of the 2019-20 season, West Brom were in the Championship, until again they were promoted for one season up into the PL and finally back into the Championship for this new season.

The last time the Cherries met the Baggies was in the Premier League in March of the 2017-18 season. Second-half goals from Jordon Ibe and Junior Stanislas gave the Cherries a 2-1 win, early into the second half, Jay Rodriguez had given West Brom the lead.

In league games at home, AFCB have W 5, D 2, L 1.

All competitions, AFCB have W 8, D 4, L 9.

AFCB v West Brom

AFCB Win

AFCB Win

Draw

Draw

WBA Win

WBA Win

AFCB Team News
Chris Mepham will be available after serving his one-game suspension. No updated news on the injury/illness front, the two Cooks, Lewis and Steve, Leif Davis, Arnaut Danjuma and Ben Pearson who missed the MK Dons game. Jefferson Lerma is still suspended. Jack Stacey went off with an injury in the League Cup. Sam Surridge who was also missing with a knock looks likely to be moving to Stoke City.

AFCB Player To Watch
Early days yet and with a number of our midfield players missing, this could be a good chance for young Gavin Kilkenny to make his mark in the first Championship game of the season. He had a very good game against MK Dons in the League Cup, with a pinpoint cross to David Brooks to score. David Brooks scored a brace and hopefully will be an important player for us this season, just hope he can stay injury-free.

West Brom Team News
Three players who will be missing, on Friday, are Quevin Castro, Adam Reach and Taylor Gardener-Hickman. One of their best players last season is the Brazilian, Matheus Pereira, he wants to leave the club and there are clubs interested in getting his signature, including West Ham, so he will not feature on Friday. Sam Johnstone was still missing as he was on holiday after the European Championships, clubs are also interested in signing him ahead of the new season.

West Brom Player To Watch
Would have chosen midfielder Matheus Pereira scored 11 goals and had 6 assists last season and was one of West Brom’s best players, but his future it seems is not at the Baggies. So will say Alex Mowatt who was the former Barnsley captain and scored 8 goals and had 7 assists last season and will fit straight into Valerian Ismael style of playing in his midfield role.

Your say…

stuseddon wrote…

Given the way they’ll press this is going to be a huge test for Travers, the back four and Killkenny (presuming he’ll start as number 6).

However, we’ll be in their faces too and I think Brooks and Stan/Anthony will exploit the space behind their wing-backs.

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