| Club: | West Bromwich Albion |
| Season: | 1997–98 |
| Manager: | Ray Harford (until 4 December) Richie Barker and John Trewick (caretaker managers until 24 December) Denis Smith (from 24 December) |
| Chairman: | Tony Hale |
| Stadium: | The Hawthorns |
| League: | First Division |
| League Result: | 10th |
| Cup2: | FA Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Fourth round |
| Cup3: | League Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Third round |
| League Topscorer: | Hughes (14) |
| Season Topscorer: | Hunt/Hughes (14) |
| Highest Attendance: | 23,013 v Nottingham Forest |
| Lowest Attendance: | 7,227 v Luton Town |
| Average Attendance: | 17,004 (16,635 all competitions) |
| Prevseason: | 1996–97 |
| Nextseason: | 1998–99 |
During the 1997–98 English football season, West Bromwich Albion F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.
In the first few months of the 1997–98 season, West Brom established themselves in the top six. Harford then stunned Albion supporters by moving to QPR after less than a year in charge, making way for Denis Smith,[1] [2] who struggled to maintain the momentum created by Harford, and the Baggies could only finish 10th.
Nigel Spink (24) became the oldest goalkeeper to appear for the club when, at the age of 39 years and 19 days, he kept goal in a League Cup tie against Cambridge United on 27 August 1997,[3] a record since broken by Dean Kiely at .
See main article: 1997–98 Football League First Division.
West Bromwich Albion's score comes first[4]
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August 1997 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–1 | 16,727 | Kilbane, Hunt | |
| 16 August 1997 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 3–2 | 5,234 | Hunt (pen), Hughes (2) | |
| 24 August 1997 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–0 | 22,511 | Curle (own goal) | |
| 30 August 1997 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–1 | 13,508 | Sneekes | |
| 3 September 1997 | Stoke City | A | 0–0 | 17,500 | ||
| 7 September 1997 | Reading | H | 1–0 | 15,966 | Hunt | |
| 13 September 1997 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–2 | 14,399 | ||
| 20 September 1997 | Swindon Town | H | 0–0 | 16,237 | ||
| 27 September 1997 | Bury | A | 3–1 | 6,439 | Peschisolido (3) | |
| 4 October 1997 | Oxford United | H | 1–2 | 15,889 | Hunt | |
| 18 October 1997 | Portsmouth | A | 3–2 | 9,158 | Mardon, Hunt (2) | |
| 21 October 1997 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–1 | 19,243 | ||
| 25 October 1997 | Sheffield United | H | 2–0 | 17,311 | Hunt, Hughes | |
| 1 November 1997 | Bradford City | A | 0–0 | 16,212 | ||
| 4 November 1997 | Norwich City | H | 1–0 | 13,949 | Hughes | |
| 8 November 1997 | Charlton Athletic | H | 1–0 | 16,124 | Hunt | |
| 15 November 1997 | Port Vale | A | 2–1 | 11,124 | Hunt, Hamilton | |
| 23 November 1997 | Birmingham City | H | 1–0 | 18,444 | Sneekes | |
| 29 November 1997 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–1 | 30,164 | ||
| 2 December 1997 | Manchester City | H | 0–1 | 17,904 | ||
| 6 December 1997 | Stockport County | H | 3–2 | 14,957 | ||
| 13 December 1997 | Sunderland | A | 0–2 | 29,231 | ||
| 20 December 1997 | Huddersfield Town | H | 0–2 | 14,619 | ||
| 26 December 1997 | Reading | A | 1–2 | 10,154 | Kilbane | |
| 28 December 1997 | Stoke City | H | 1–1 | 19,690 | Hunt | |
| 9 January 1998 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 0–0 | 8,058 | ||
| 17 January 1998 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 0–1 | 15,257 | ||
| 27 January 1998 | Ipswich Town | H | 2–3 | 12,403 | Murphy, Flynn | |
| 31 January 1998 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–0 | 28,244 | Hunt | |
| 7 February 1998 | Swindon Town | A | 2–0 | 9,861 | Carbon, Evans | |
| 14 February 1998 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–1 | 20,143 | Hughes | |
| 17 February 1998 | Oxford United | A | 1–2 | 9,412 | Taylor | |
| 21 February 1998 | Bury | H | 1–1 | 15,840 | Hughes | |
| 24 February 1998 | Portsmouth | H | 0–3 | 12,757 | ||
| 28 February 1998 | Manchester City | A | 0–1 | 28,460 | ||
| 3 March 1998 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–5 | 10,893 | ||
| 7 March 1998 | Bradford City | H | 1–1 | 13,281 | Burgess | |
| 14 March 1998 | Norwich City | A | 1–1 | 16,663 | Hughes | |
| 21 March 1998 | Port Vale | H | 2–2 | 14,242 | Flynn, Taylor | |
| 28 March 1998 | Birmingham City | A | 0–1 | 23,260 | ||
| 4 April 1998 | Middlesbrough | H | 2–1 | 21,620 | Quinn (2, 1 pen) | |
| 11 April 1998 | Stockport County | A | 1–2 | 7,943 | Hughes | |
| 13 April 1998 | Sunderland | H | 3–3 | 22,181 | Hughes (2), Kilbane | |
| 18 April 1998 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0–1 | 11,704 | ||
| 25 April 1998 | Sheffield United | A | 4–2 | 21,248 | Hunt, Hughes (2), Kilbane | |
| 3 May 1998 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1–1 | 23,013 | Hughes (pen) |
See main article: 1997–98 FA Cup.
| R3 | 13 January 1998 | Stoke City | H | 3–1 | 17,598 | Sneekes (2), Kilbane | |
| R4 | 24 January 1998 | Aston Villa | A | 0–4 | 39,372 |
See main article: 1997–98 Football League Cup.
| R1 First Leg | 12 August 1997 | Cambridge United | A | 1–1 | 3,520 | Peschisolido | |
| R1 Second Leg | 27 August 1997 | Cambridge United | H | 2–1 (won 3–2 on agg) | 10,264 | Hunt, Sneekes (pen) | |
| R2 First Leg | 16 September 1997 | Luton Town | A | 1–1 | 3,437 | Taylor | |
| R2 Second Leg | 23 September 1997 | Luton Town | H | 4–2 (won 5–3 on agg) | 7,227 | Raven, McDermott, Peschisolido (2) | |
| R3 | 15 October 1997 | Liverpool | H | 0–2 | 22,986 |
Squad at end of season[5]