Mikey Johnston scored West Brom's best goal this season, but fellow contender George Campbell's strike meant the most, according to fans and pundits alike.
Voting Under Way for Goal of the Season
West Brom's vote for the 2025/26 goal of the season is currently under way. Eight efforts from a largely forgettable campaign, in which James Morrison's troops just avoided relegation, have been shortlisted.
Two each were netted by Mikey Johnston — long-range goals at home to Portsmouth and Preston — and Isaac Price for strikes in the same Preston clash and at Watford. Other contenders are former loanee Samuel Iling-Junior's individual effort against Leicester, Aune Heggebo's header at QPR, Karlan Grant's rising strike in the win over Sheffield United, and George Campbell's equaliser from range away to the Blades.
The Best Goal?
Winger Johnston's stunning strike in the 2-1 win over Preston at The Hawthorns on October 18 was the best Albion goal scored this season, certainly in my view. Granted, the visiting defenders gave the Irishman far too much room, but the way he found the top left corner from 25 yards from outside the left of the penalty box was postage-stamp perfect. It was a day that proved another false dawn under Ryan Mason.
There are other reasonable contenders that fall short. Nine-goal attacking midfielder Price caressed in a wonderful effort from outside the box in an otherwise miserable 2-1 defeat at Watford's Vicarage Road a few days later on October 22.
Top scorer Aune Heggebo netted a fine header in defeat at QPR. My other personal favourite from the season — and I was glad to see it shortlisted — was Heggebo's stunning header on another desperate afternoon in the capital at Loftus Road. Headers seldom win any awards or live in the memory, but you will go back a long way to find a more stylish headed goal than the Norwegian's intelligent looped effort over goalkeeper Paul Nardi.
But There Is a Fair Case for Defender Campbell
Technically, it comes down to how you define the award, in terms of the ‘best’ technically and aesthetically, or the ‘best’, factoring in context and significance. Campbell’s rocket from range at Sheffield United earned Albion a crucial point — the first under Morrison in the head coach’s second game. It came after the miserable defeat at Oxford, after which Morrison publicly fumed at his players, and then was appointed until the end of the campaign.
Campbell had been unfortunate to turn into his own net for the Blades’ opener that day. But he made his point with a perfect response, with a rasping strike into the left corner from 25 yards in front of a euphoric away end. Many feel the equaliser and point kickstarted the recovery run under Morrison. It was the first of 10 matches unbeaten that unquestionably salvaged the club’s Championship status. The significance of Campbell’s bullet from range speaks for itself in that regard. Factoring in the quality of the clean strike and its significance, there is a strong case it lands the prized gong.
Campbell proved an effective weapon in front of goal for Albion. His first of four goals this term came at the end of December, but then three more arrived within six games into the spring, including the headed winner at Bristol City — a first away success in six months.
Votes for the award can be made here until Friday's 1pm deadline.
