Walsall top the league with just one loss in twenty games
Season 2006-7 Part One
BOTH Albion and Wolves reached the Championship play-offs in 2006-07.
The Baggies finished fourth in the Division while Wolves were fifth, and as a result they met each other in the semifinal, which Albion won 4-2 on aggregate to go through to Wembley where they met – and subsequenely lost 1-0 to – Derby County.
But it was glory for Walsall who won Cocoa-cola League 2 with 89 points, one more than second-placed Hartlepool United, with Swindon Town third on 85.
And indeed it was an excellent seson all round for the Saddlers under manager Richard Money who had taken over the reins from Paul Merson soon after the end of the previous season. Walsall suffered only one defeat in their first 20 matches (1-2 at Grimsby) and just two in their first 27. Indeed, they went into the New Year sitting proudly on top of the table and the defence wasn’t conceding all that many goals. During the second half of the season Walsall had a few hiccups in February, but in the end they were convincing champions. Their full record was outstanding – played 46, won 25, drew 14 and lost seven with 66 goals scored and 34 conceded. Their biggest win was 5-0 at home to Peterborough United in mid-september while 4-0 and 4-1 victories were registered against Mansfield Town and Barnet respectively. A 3-1 loss at Hartlepool was the Saddlers’ heaviest defeat and in fact they scored in all but seven of their 46 League games, with Dean Keates topping the tree with 13, including four penalties. Former Rotherham striker Martin Butler weighed in with 11.
And in fact, no less than 20 differeent players figured on the Walsall scoresheet this term.
Bryan Robson remained in charge at The Hawthorns until midseptember and after Nigel Pearson had served as caretaker boss, Tony Mowbray moved into the hot seat.
Albion had made a reasonable start to the season – winning four and drawing four of their opening 10 games, and then, under Mowbray, they quickly ran up three successive victories – and after undergoing a lean spell, they picked up again, and finished the year on a high, remaining unbeaten in December.
Then, from their first 10 games of 2007 the Baggies suffered only two defeats, but after that their form dipped once more and with automatic promotion there for the taking, the team lost six of their last 11 fixtures and slipped down the ladder, ending up with 76 points, 12 behind champions Sunderland and 10 adrift of runners-up
Bryan Robson remained in charge until caretaker boss Nigel Pearson took over