West Brom debrief: Goals finally flow, farewells and chairman's note

The Hatters were condemned to relegation at The Hawthorns as the Baggies provided some rare cheer in what has been a desperate collapse to tumble down the division.

Here is the final post-match debrief of the season.

Goal irony

The final third has been Albion's chief limitation this season. Particularly since 12-goal Josh Maja broke down injured in the new year, there has been very little firepower to power the side over the line in games.

Ironic then - or 'Albion that', as supporters say - that five goals were thrashed past the hopeless Hatters on the final day.

Cynical Baggies fans, and they may well have a point, will point to the side freeing up and putting in a much better performance with nothing on the line on the final day, now all hopes of achieving anything had fallen by the wayside.

Winger Tom Fellows and left-back Callum Styles both fired the first braces of their careers to make it just four and three goals respectably for the season.

The day's big plus - in every way but certainly from a goal perspective - was Daryl Dike.

His first league start in 750 days was marked with a fine header and superb all-round powerful frontman display. He won all of his duels and was neat with the ball.

Dike's Albion career is in the last chance saloon - everybody hopes the months ahead are pain free.

Definite and possible farewells

Some wondered whether the annual 'lap of appreciation' - where fans clap players and and families join on the field - would take place at full-time.

That was always going to go on. Albion may have collapsed to ninth and it was understandably far from full come the end - the attendance was very low anyway - but there was still no shortage of goodwill afterwards.

Defender Semi Ajayi, out of contract and set to move on, completed his own lap of appreciation, clapping the home crowd before players re-emerged with partners and children.

He and Grady Diangana were given minutes on their final matchday as an Albion player. Diangana carried out his trademark cheer to the Birmingham Road End at full-time. John Swift was uninvolved again but was part of the lap in his civvies, hands in pockets.

There are several others for whom Saturday could have been farewell.

Kyle Bartley led the group, waving at fans, and some had the opinion afterwards it looked like a goodbye. The defender, 34 this summer, triggered an extra 12 months on his deal recently but could be allowed to move on if the right offer comes in.

That is not just limited to Bartley, indeed most of the players will be in a similar boat.

Two-goal hero Fellows, the academy graduate whose 14 assists is a divisional best with Josh Murphy of Portsmouth, may well have played his last game for his boyhood club. There is expected to be more interest this summer.

"Much to build on"

Shortly into the fixture chairman and owner Shilen Patel put out a social media post thanking supporters and ending that the club have 'much to build on' for next season.

His social media note after last season's play-off disappointment vowed 'at least one better' next time and the Baggies fell short.

Naturally the chairman is not going to suggest wholesale change during the summer ahead - and Albion are not in a position where 10 players will leave and another 10 will check in, regardless of how transfer-hungry supporters may be.

Fans are keen to see a big turnaround in the squad and Albion will do what they can but the thought could be the squad does not require too much surgery. More evolution than revolution.

Sporting director Andrew Nestor said recently that owners Bilkul have had two of three transfer windows in their squad rebuild.

They have already refreshed things with the likes of Torbjorn Heggem, Callum Styles, Isaac Price, Ousmane Diakite and the hope is Tammer Bany does likewise.

Certain positions - midfield is one - is pretty well-stocked. The defence is less-so and there is work to do to supplement the wings and strikeforce - especially if Fellows leaves - but with Mikey Johnston, Maja and Dike ideally around for next season, and hopefully fit, there is a base.