West Brom set to be backed by biggest away following in the league for more than six years
Albion are set to be backed by their best away following in the league for more than six years on Saturday when they travel to Wigan Athletic.
The Baggies have already sold nearly 3,200 tickets for the trip to the DW Stadium – despite adult seats costing £30 – and have taken an extra allocation of 500 more on top of that to sell this week.
Coincidentally, that would be the largest away following for a league fixture since 4,600 Albion fans descended on the same ground for a 1-1 draw in the Premier League in March 2012, with roughly 2,000 of those taking advantage of free coach travel laid on by the club.
The number of Baggies at the DW Stadium this weekend is set to trump the 3,192 fans who travelled to Deepdale last month to watch Albion beat Preston North End 3-2.
As well as their largest away following in the league for six years, it’s also set to be Albion's biggest away following in all competitions since 6,500 fans went to Villa Park in the FA Cup in March 2015.
Last season, the club’s largest crowd away from home came at Wembley, when they sold out their 3,062-seat allocation to roar on caretaker boss Gary Megson against Tottenham.
Albion’s average away following this season is currently 1,906, which is the seventh highest in the division.
However, just two of their six away games so far have been played at the regular Saturday 3pm slot.
Their trips to Birmingham City and Middlesbrough were both moved to Friday night for television, and their visits to Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday were both in midweek.
That average is due to take another dent after the next international break, when they travel to Ipswich Town on a Friday night for another televised fixture.
Albion were criticised by supporters last season for taking small allocations away from home before selling out early, removing the chance for some fans to purchase tickets.
The Baggies defended their decisions, pointing out that any tickets they didn’t sell still had to be paid for by the club. Operations manager Mark Miles said they always chose appropriate allocations.
However, this year has seen a rise in away followings for a number of reasons.
As well as an upturn in demand from supporters, the EFL operates a ‘sale or return’ policy, which means there is no longer a financial risk for the club.
The standard allocation in the EFL for away fans is 2,000 seats, although clubs can negotiate more.
