'It was so poor': West Brom hero recalls 2007 Wembley heartbreak ahead of Championship play-off final

This year Albion missed out after a dreadful end to the campaign - and are set for yet another season in the Championship.

If things had been different it would have been their first visit to Wembley for a play-off final since their 2007 loss to Derby County, who went on to set a Premier League low record points total.

It was a game that saw Albion dominate the Rams, but they were beaten by Stephen Pearson's second half strike.

Kevin Phillips, a man who knows more than most about Wembley play-off finals, look back on the game this week, having played in the play-off final on four occasions.

On three occasions he has been on the losing side, but came out on top and netted the winner for Crystal Palace in 2013.

Looking back at the 1-0 defeat to Derby in 2007, which came after he had lost with Sunderland in the 1990s, he told BBC Sport: "It was a poor game and I don't remember much about it. It was very tense and the pressure was on us as favourites.

"We dominated the game but we just couldn't find the net.

"It was harder to take than with Sunderland. There we were a young squad, still learning but we had a lot of experience at West Brom and we were very confident.

"That wasn't a great summer, for sure."

However, for Phillips and Albion, in hindsight it was a blessing. They would return to Wembley less than 12 months later when they were again on the losing side in a FA Cup semi-final.

But in the league, they went on to win the Championship title.

Phillips added: "They say Wembley is not a place for losers and that's right. It's absolutely horrible.

"It was a similar scenario because we came back and won the league.

"From a personal point of view, I could deal with it a little better and it was all about getting around individuals, telling them we'd had a good season and learning from it and going again.

"In hindsight, that certainly helped us."