Lewis Cox's West Brom analysis: Dismissal clearly costly - but season threatens to slip away

That position in the second tier is clearly not nearly good enough for a club like Albion, who under committed and ambitious owners in Bilkul desire the bright lights of the Premier League, not League One.

Head coach Ryan Mason said in his press conference on Friday, referencing his side's previous position of 14th, he 'absolutely does not believe there are 12 or 13 better sides in the division' than his.

He will still believe as much having seen his side give up further ground following Saturday's Molumby-charged capitulation away to the leaders - but as Mason knows, words are not enough at this stage.

We are no longer at an earlier stage of the Championship season. One-third of the campaign has gone and nobody expected to be marooned in the bottom half, regardless of any context around summer change.

It may be argued "marooned" is strong given the outlook of the table as just four points separate the ailing Baggies and the team in sixth.

But we are nearing December and Albion have yet to win consecutive games this season. In fact they mustered just three victories in the last 12 attempts - the form is more similar to a relegation-battler.

Albion are slipping in the wrong direction. While supporters crave improvements - and there have been crumbs to take from recent games - there are not enough points to back up encouragement.

Others can and will get their act together. Ipswich and Leicester have been bang average so far this term and are now eighth and tenth, sniffing those play-off places.

Southampton, who have been a laughing stock and sacked a summer appointment, are now above Albion.

Mason will continue to have opportunities to turn around the fortunes but occasions in the Championship this season hardly come bigger than the visit of Birmingham City under the lights on Wednesday night.

Blues have rallied after a stuttering start and are now ninth having lashed in four goals in each of their last three games. Twelve goals is not much fewer than the misfiring Baggies' 16 in 16 for the campaign.

It is a tasty one under the lights for the neutral but not an appealing one for a head coach looking to avoid many more slip-ups. If things go against the hosts on Wednesday night the home crowd will let all onlookers know.

There can be encouragement taken by the fact Albion have won two of their last three home games, successes against Preston and Oxford. But Blues are sharp at the moment and look ruthless and ready to prey on their hosts.

Mason will be able to take some comfort from his side's performance with 11 men for 50 minutes in the ridiculous 3-2 defeat at Coventry on Saturday.

Molumby will not be involved against Blues after his brainless second yellow card shortly after half-time in the CBS Arena rain which undoubtedly took the contest away from the visitors.

It was beyond frustrating on many levels, not least because the first half probably delivered the best 45 minutes of football under Mason and two wonderfully-taken finishes from Aune Heggebo from fine Mikey Johnston crosses. The tactical call to take Johnston off at half-time was an odd one, at best.

Coventry still looked a threat - they are a top side under Frank Lampard and seven clear for a reason now - but they were rattled. Josh Eccles' header to halve the deficit before the break was significant.

But not as much as Molumby's two daft cautions. The first, where the Irishman showed his typical full-blooded, whole-hearted self after a heated passage of play, might be forgivable but the second, a needless shirt-pull on the halfway line - is plain naïve.

It is Molumby's third red card for the club - fourth if you include the pre-season punch-up - and has shades of Bristol City in April.

It certainly cost Albion and Mason dear on Saturday as the Sky Blues turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead barely 10 minutes after his dismissal.

The Baggies stayed in it at 3-2 but did not threaten the hosts' goal once. Coventry were comfortable.

Albion hope to be comfortable on Wednesday night but it feels chances of that are slim, unless Mason's side can deliver a polished, professional, error-free performance of conviction that has lacked so often this season.