Holgate: West Brom’s Unbeaten Streak “Didn’t Feel Real” Due to Dropped Points

Defender Mason Holgate stated that West Bromwich Albion’s 12-game unbeaten streak in the Championship “did not feel real” due to the significant number of points lost during the period. Holgate has been a consistent presence in the team’s defence, completing 90 minutes in eight of their last nine Championship fixtures. Although Albion held the top position in the Championship at the start of October, their standing declined, moving them out of the play-off spots, despite their dozen-game unbeaten stretch. This descent was largely attributed to ten of those matches concluding in draws. Following a 2-1 loss to Watford on Sunday, the team now occupies eighth place, trailing leaders Sheffield United by 13 points. Speaking to BBC Radio WM, Holgate remarked, “It doesn’t feel like an unbeaten run because obviously there’s a lot of draws in there we should have won.” He added, “We know we’ve been dropping points, it’s something we have got to work on. It’s still disappointing to lose when we haven’t in a long while. We can’t let it happen again.” The defender, on loan from Everton, indicated that the upcoming schedule of five matches in 13 days during the festive season presents an opportunity for “the Baggies” to initiate a fresh unbeaten streak and secure a position closer to the top of the table, a place he believes the team merits. He commented, “There are so many games coming thick and fast over this period it’s about how we react.” Holgate further stated, “We’ve shown if we turn some of those draws into wins where we would be in the table but it’s alright saying that, we have got to go out and do it.” Holgate expressed confidence, saying, “We believe, we showed last week (in a draw) against Sheffield United, they are a good team, they are top of the league for a reason, but we can match anyone on our day.” He continued, “Nobody has run away with it this year, everyone is within touching distance, which makes it a little bit more disappointing we have not got the results we have wanted because we feel like we’d be up there in and around it ourselves.” Concluding his remarks, he affirmed, “All we can do is keep pushing – if we go on and win two or three in a row everything is going to change. We have to worry about or own results to be in that pack.”