Tony Mowbray feared a Derby County side ‘fighting for their lives’ in 2022, now they can end West Brom’s season

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Time is running out for West Brom to secure a play-off berth this season, and Tony Mowbray knows he needs to get a tune out of his players against a dogged Derby County team.

Just a few weeks ago, West Brom looked almost certain to nail down a play-off spot, with Tony Mowbray getting the Baggies organised at the back, more progressive in attack, and able to grind out points against top teams like Burnley.

Fast forward to today, and after defeat to play-off rivals Coventry City on Good Friday, West Brom are now six points behind the Sky Blues in sixth, and seven behind Bristol City in fifth.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
5	Bristol CityBristol City	43	17	16	10	56	46	10	67
6	CoventryCoventry	43	19	9	15	61	54	7	66
7	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	43	18	9	16	63	52	11	63
8	West BromWest Brom	43	14	18	11	51	41	10	60
9	MillwallMillwall	43	16	12	15	42	45	-3	60
10	BlackburnBlackburn	43	17	8	18	49	46	3	59

The truth is, it’s already looking like curtains for West Brom, but the play-off contenders could put up one last fight for the top six if they can get a result against Derby County and hope that other results go their way.

However, Mowbray will know full well that facing Derby will be no mean feat, especially given the Rams’ own predicament right now down at the bottom of the table.

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What Tony Mowbray said about Derby County in 2022

During his time in charge of Blackburn Rovers, Mowbray discussed the challenge of facing a team fighting relegation, offering praise for a Derby side that, like the current one, were scrapping to stay in the division back in 2022.

Ahead of the game between Rovers and the Rams, Mowbray said (via the Blackburn club website): “I look at their squad and it always looks pretty strong to me.

“They have some good players and are fighting really hard despite the problems that everyone knows about.

“They had more possession than Bournemouth at the weekend and are a team who want to get on the ball and play through the lines.

“They’ll come, they’ll be confident, they’ll fight and want to play football. Great credit has to go to Wayne and his coaching staff.

“It’s the next challenge for us and we expected a tough encounter against a team who are scrapping and fighting for their lives.”

If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because John Eustace has got his current Derby team giving it everything to avoid the drop.

But, Mowbray can take heart in the fact that his team won that game back in March 2022 3-1, at home, and Derby went on to be relegated that season.

Could we see a repeat of that scenario as West Brom host the Rams on this Bank Holiday Monday?

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West Brom and Derby County are absolutely desperate for a win

With both teams desperately needing three points for very different reasons, we should get a fascinating clash at the Hawthorns.

On paper, you’d fancy the Baggies for the win. But, Derby have shown a real resilience under Eustace and will make life very difficult for Mowbray’s men.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
18	PortsmouthPortsmouth	43	13	10	20	55	69	-14	49
19	Oxford UnitedOxford United	43	12	12	19	43	61	-18	48
20	Hull CityHull City	43	11	12	20	41	51	-10	45
21	DerbyDerby	43	11	10	22	44	55	-11	43
22	LutonLuton	43	11	10	22	38	63	-25	43
23	CardiffCardiff	43	9	15	19	45	68	-23	42
24	PlymouthPlymouth	43	9	13	21	45	84	-39	40

Still, Derby have not won in their last four, and do appear to have run out of steam a little lately. Losing another one here would see them under immense pressure in the Championship relegation battle, especially if Luton, Cardiff, or Plymouth Argyle pick up a win elsewhere.

Defeat for West Brom would absolutely be the end of the season, though. The Baggies have been written off already, and it will be interesting to see whether that defeatist mentality has already seeped into the dressing room there.

Either way, we know this game will have a huge impact on the race to escape the second tier, and the fight to stay in it.