West Brom vs Derby County bizarrely stopped due to unusual reason
West Brom’s 1-0 defeat to West Brom in the Championship was halted due to a strange and unpredictable reason.
West Brom manager Ryan Mason has began his tenure in solid fashion in the league after making the move from Tottenham to revamp his managerial career.
The club were also busy in the transfer market, as West Brom signed Alfie Gilchrist from Chelsea to bolster their squad as they bid to return to the Premier League.
The clash in the English second-tier comes a month after Derby County beat West Brom on penalties in the EFL Cup, although the rematch was overshadowed by a bizarre occurrence in the second half.
Pigeon stops play as players made to wait for bird to be removed from the pitch
It was an extremely frustrating game for the Baggies as they fell 1-0 to the Rams despite dominating proceedings.
Yet, in the 66th minute, play was stopped after what looked like a pigeon dropped dead during the second half on the pitch.
Reportedly, a staff member came to pick up the bird which received an ovation from the crowd, summing up the shambolic performance from West Brom.
Alfie Gilchrist frustrated with lack of minutes after leaving Chelsea
Football Insider verdict
One of the key bits of business which caught my eye was the Chelsea academy graduate leaving his boyhood club in search of more minutes at The Hawthorns.
The 21-year-old impressed on a season-long loan to Sheffield United, yet the Blades opted to not go back for the Englishman in the summer on a permanent deal.
The defender was forced out of Stamford Bridge following their revolving door policy of signing multiple names and shipping off the Blues’ youth prodigies.
| Alfie Gilchrist 2024-25 all competitions | |
| Appearances | 32 |
| Minutes played | 2,274 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Clean sheets | 3 |
Gilchrist would have been gutted not to have been given a proper go at stating his case to Enzo Maresca in west London.
However, having sat on the bench for both of the Baggies matches since his move at the end of August, the number 14 will be growing ever frustrated on the sidelines.
Defeat to Derby may prompt Mason to rethink his starting XI moving forward which could see the English youngster force a way into the side.