West Brom promoted: Albion's Championship success timeline

Albion's 2-2 draw with QPR on the final day was enough, as Brentford lost to Barnsley and Fulham drew with Wigan. That meant a point secured Albion's second-placed finish, booking their place in the top flight, two seasons after their relegation.

So with the season now done and dusted for the Baggies, here's a timeline detailing just how Albion have battled back to the pinnacle of English football.

June 13 2019 - Slaven Bilic appointed West Brom boss

Having failed to secure promotion in the 2018/19 season, Albion made the move to appoint Slaven Bilic as boss all the way back in June.

With no prior Championship experience, some questioned the decision, although his Premier League and international credentials were clear for all to see.

Bilic highlighted both a short-term and long-term plan upon joining, stating that the club 'made it clear' they wanted him to be the man to guide them to the Premier League.

August 3 2019 - Baggies get off to winning start

Almost two months later, Albion fans got their first glimpse of competitive football under Bilic - and they liked what they saw.

A 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest got Albion going, although the goals all came from goalkeeping errors.

It was a sign of things to come for the Baggies though, and the best possible start.

August 8 2019 - Transfer deadline passes, Albion sign Matheus Pereira, Grady Diangana and Charlie Austin

A summer transfer window to remember, it was also a hectic deadline day which really got Albion fans drooling.

The Baggies brought in four players on the final day and nine over the entire window.

None had quite the impact of Brazilian Matheus Pereira though, who quickly emerged as one of the leading players in the Championship.

The Baggies' business throughout the window proved hugely successful elsewhere too, with Grady Diangana (loan), Semi Ajayi (£1.5m), Filip Krovinovic (loan), Darnell Furlong (£1.5m) and Romaine Sawyers (£2.9m) and Charlie Austin (£4m) all playing key roles over the season.

August 17 2019 - Albion come back through Diangana magic

Over a week later, Albion faced a battle with a familiar face at Luton.

Having previously worked at Albion, Graeme Jones' side looked set to get an unlikely result against the Baggies, but for some brilliance from Grady Diangana.

In what was to become a recurring theme, Slaven Bilic made a brilliant switch to bring the West Ham loanee on for his debut, in which he netted a fabulous brace to turn the tables on Luton and claim three points, lifting Albion to third place with just three games played.

September 28 2019 - Albion and Pereira shine against R's

Fast-forward more than a month and Albion went top with a brilliant showing at QPR.

Nathan Ferguson scored the opener for the Baggies, but it was Matheus Pereira's stunning free-kick which stole the show in London.

Bilic hailed the win as the 'best performance played so far'. Albion were still unbeaten to that point.

October 1 2019 - Unbeaten start ended by Leeds

It took all the way until the first day of October for the Baggies to register their first defeat of the campaign - and it came at one of the most daunting grounds in the league.

Ezgjan Alioski's deflected strike proved to be the only goal of the game, although Albion could feel hard done by not to leave without a share of the spoils.

Sam Johnstone shone with a superb double save to keep the Baggies in touching distance going into the second half, but the Baggies simply couldn't find a way to equalise - that result lifted Marcelo Bielsa's side atop the table.

December 8 2019 - Baggies stun the Swans as promotion credentials strengthened

Arguably the best performance of Albion's season, and certainly the best individual performance of the campaign came against Swansea at The Hawthorns in early December.

The Welsh side were no match for the Baggies, with Matheus Pereira dazzling, scoring one whilst providing four assists in the encounter - striking fear into Albion's promotion rivals.

It was the side's sixth successive win, and a result which saw them once again climb to first place in the table.

December 14 2019 - Bilic and Austin mastermind derby victory

As derby's go, this one proved a cracker for the Baggies and summer signing Charlie Austin.

Struggling through the first half against Blues, Albion were level at half-time, but had witnessed star winger Grady Diangana go off injured having netted the side's leveller.

But it was more Bilic brilliance to turn the day, with the boss bringing on Charlie Austin and changing tact to overcome their West Midlands rivals.

Austin netted arguably the goal of the season with a succulent strike to level the game, before heading Albion into the lead nine minutes from full-time.

22 games into the season, the Baggies had a 12-point gap between themselves and third place - fans were starting to believe.

January 25 2019 - Premier League opponents fall to Albion

Following the win over Blues, Albion began to stutter, going six games without a win in the league - but their FA Cup form kept them going.

Having beaten Charlton in the third round, the Baggies booked their place in the fourth round of the competition, up against Premier League opponents in West Ham.

Going up against his former employers, Slaven Bilic made light work of the Hammers, claiming a deserved 1-0 victory.

In reality, it could've been a bigger win for the Baggies, but Conor Townsend's strike proved enough to provide some cup magic for the travelling fans.

January 28 2020 - Baggies blip sparks nerves

Whilst success in the cup brought joy, Albion fans were worrying about their promotion hopes at the end of January.

Losing 2-1 at Cardiff, Albion saw their win-less league run extend to seven.

Their gap to third place had shrunk to just two points during that time, and the loss to the Welsh side saw them surrender top-spot to Leeds too.

A worrying time for fans in the Black Country.

January 31 2020 - Winter transfer deadline passes, Albion sign Callum Robinson and Kamil Grosicki

With the Baggies stuttering, some January business certainly got fans believing once again.

Albion managed to add to their already immensely talented squad with two brilliant additions, with Callum Robinson and Kamil Grosicki both signing up at The Hawthorns.

Both had precious Championship experience, and each played a major role in the Baggies' season. Lee Peltier also joined the cause, but failed to make any kind of impact.

The only real hiccup came in the form of Nathan Ferguson, who failed to sign a new deal before seeing a late move to Crystal Palace falter due to a failed medical.

The youngster, who was given his chance by Bilic, went on to leave the club at the expiration of his contract over the summer.

February 9 2020 - Resurgent Albion battle the elements for massive win

With the boost of some new names in the squad, Albion took to February like a side possessed.

Opening with a solid victory over Luton Town, the Baggies followed that up with a trip to Millwall in the midst of Storm Ciara - which had threatened to postpone the encounter.

Battling through treacherous conditions at The Den, the Baggies stood strong and despatched of their opponents via Filip Krovinovic and Dara O'Shea goals.

Krovinovic was coming into his own, whilst the emergence of O'Shea quickly put the Nathan Ferguson saga into the back of many fans' minds.

The Baggies were back firing.

February 22 2020 - Baggies batter Bristol City

Later on that month, Albion were dishing out another beating, this time at Ashton Gate.

With the Robins pushing for a place in the play-offs at that point, Albion calmly went on a trip down the M5 and came back with three points in style.

Hal Robson-Kanu was in fine form as he netted a brace alongside Callum Robinson's opener - the only down point came in the red card for Romaine Sawyers.

Either way, Albion were clicking, sitting top and nine points clear of third place.

March 7 2020 - Albion stutter at Swansea ahead of season suspension

With the coronavirus threat emerging, Albion's last game before the season's suspension came in south Wales - and it wasn't the most exciting affair.

Up against a club they'd despatched comfortably at The Hawthorns, the Baggies could find no way through Swansea away from home, and having lost to Newcastle and Wigan in the days before - were stuttering.

The season was halted before Albion's next fixture, and it would be more than three months before they were back in action.

June 20 2020 - Baggies back in bore draw with Blues

105 days later, and without a supporter in The Hawthorns, Albion were back - but the goals weren't.

In the exact opposite of the game at St. Andrew's, the Baggies and Blues battled out a goalless draw, which many put down to rust on both sides' part.

In reality, Blues set up with a low block and frustrated Bilic's side, but the performance was far from typical of an Albion side capable of much, much more.

June 26 2020 - Baggies stung by Brentford

Despite their opening game of the restart ending a draw, Albion had actually seen their position strengthen in regards to their gap to third.

This wasn't to be the case after Albion's trip to an in-form Brentford - who handed a 1-0 defeat to the visitors via an Ollie Watkins goal.

The Baggies weren't blown away by the Bees, but a worrying vein of form was developing in the capital, and with the gap down to five points - Albion were starting to look over their shoulders.

July 8 2020 - Albion cruising as Derby despatched

Seeing Brentford put together an astonishing run of consecutive wins, Albion responded in kind - notching three of their own.

Finding their groove against Sheffield Wednesday, the Baggies went on to hand Hull another defeat before heading to Derby, themselves on a surge toward the top six.

Albion were back to their best against the Rams though, silencing Wayne Rooney and handling the hosts in style.

A 2-0 victory looked to have Albion set for promotion, and potentially the title - but there were still a few ups and downs to be had.

July 17 2020 - Baggies crumble against Terriers as rivals handed opportunity

Having beaten Derby, many expected Albion to push on and seal promotion well ahead of the last day, but it wasn't to be so easy.

Having stood out at Blackburn, Albion couldn't put the game to bed and ended up drawing, they followed that up with another draw against Fulham.

Whilst they weren't playing poorly, the Baggies were struggling to take their chances, something Brentford had no problem doing, and suddenly Albion's clash with Huddersfield Town was a huge game.

A big performance was needed in Yorkshire, but the Albion went on to provide one of their poorest showings of the season, losing 2-1. When the pressure was on, they didn't show up - and Brentford were handed an opportunity to climb into the automatic promotion spots.

All they needed to do was get a draw against a Stoke side in the bottom half of the table, having won their last eight games.

But the Championship is a funny old league...

July 18 2020 - Brentford bottle it to hand Albion lifeline

With Albion fans, players and coaches alike all thoroughly expecting to be sat in third by the end of the weekend, a minor miracle took place up the M6.

Stoke ended Brentford's winning run courtesy of a Lee Gregory goal and a stunning, late Adam Davies save.

Albion were handed a reprieve in the most unlikely fashion. With just a single game remaining, all Albion needed to do to book their place in the Premier League was match Brentford's result on the final day.

The Baggies were simply a win away from the top flight - only QPR stood in their way.

Slaven Bilic went on to say his side were deserving of a second opportunity to claim automatic promotion.

July 22 2020 - Promotion secured on final day after draw with Rs

It all came down to the final day for Albion, who needed to simply match Brentford's result down to a draw.

It was a dramatic day in the Championship, and ultimately Albion's 2-2 draw proved enough as Barnsley pulled out a shock 2-1 win at Griffin Park, whilst Fulham drew with Wigan.

Bilic went bold with his team selection, and goals from Grady Diangana and Callum Robinson proved enough for Albion - sparking wild celebrations as Brentford's defeat was confirmed.

Players celebrated on The Hawthorns pitch before sharing their jubilation with fans outside the ground.

Wave goodbye to the Championship, the Baggies are back in the big time!