West Brom v Southampton: Championship playoff semi-final, first leg – live

24 mins: Aribo nearly sneaks in, but Kyle Bartley recovers and shuts the door on the Saints’ striker. The ball over the top was almost inch-perfect.

23 mins: I wonder if West Brom flew out of the blocks a little too quickly. They were all action, bustling with energy and flying into tackles. But those levels have dropped now.

21 mins: Flynn Downes with the best chance of the game. It came from his tackle on Fellows, he played the give-and-go and then tried to guide his effort inside the far post from the left. Alex Palmer, in the hosts’ goal, stuck out a vital foot.

20 mins: Thomas-Asante gets caught on the ball in his own half, as Saints take their turn in pressing high and trying to force the issue.

17 mins: It’s more of an even contest now. Southampton have stood firm and remained resilient to withstand the Baggies’ early barrage … but they’re not out of the woods yet. Fellows seems to have the beating of Manning on the West Brom right.

15 mins: Aribo wriggles free in the centre and releases the on-running Walker-Peters from right wing-back. He stands up Townsend and arrows a shot that runs across the face of goal, via a deflection.

A few corners here for Saints.

13 mins: West Brom’s pressing has been effective so far, but Southampton are pass-masters and continue Martin’s strict policy of playing out of trouble no matter what the situation.

It’s bringing about some hairy moments at the back.

10 mins: Smallbone wins Saints a corner – their first foray forward of the afternoon. Manning nearly makes a mess of it before winning a second set piece.

9 mins: Russell Martin, looking rather bon chic in a navy blue t-shirt and resembling the owner of recently-opened wine bar, is also clapping and waving, in a far more panicked fashion than his opposite number.

7 mins: Carlos Corberán is matching his team’s intensity on the sidelines, waving his arms in all directions as the West Brom seige on Southampton’s goal continues. The visitors haven’t had a kick yet.

5 mins: There’s nothing leggy or weary about the way West Brom have started this game. They’re full of intensity, buoyed by a rowdy Hawthorns crowd. Harwood-Bellis has made a few telling interventions at the back for Saints already.

3 mins: Tom Fellows cuts in from the left, spins his man, and then goes down amid halfhearted appeals for an Albion penalty. It looks like Saints are in a back three/five, with Walker-Peters and Manning the wingbacks, being pushed back at the moment.

A Baggies’ corner is delivered well by Johnston and not cleared by Southampton. The hosts are on top early doors.

1 mins: I can’t begin to tell you how late this game kicked off. Why is that happening?

Oh well, no time to get angry, West Brom are on the front foot, driving forward through Mikey Johnston and Thomas-Asante.

We’re off and running.

“All the pressure is on Southampton,” says the oracle of punditry, Troy Deeney. Apparently he scored an important goal in the playoffs once upon a time? Who knew?

As kick-off approaches, you wonder how much a mid-afternoon game in the heat and the sun will impact the teams. Energy seemed to sap quite quickly from Norwich and Leeds earlier.

The second leg is an evening game, on Friday night.

Just a great picture, this. Boiler Man rides again. There’s no shortage of playoff fever around The Hawthorns this afternoon.

Take note, whoeverwinstheplayoffs.

It’s ended 0-0 at Carrow Road. Not a classic by any means. But that will have little to no bearing on proceedings over in the west midlands, as the players emerge down the tunnel after the warmups.

In fact, the lacklustre nature of Norwich and Leeds’ performances may even spur on these two sets of players. We’re almost ready to roll.

Southampton did the double over West Brom in the regular season, winning 2-0 at The Hawthorns in February. Both goalscorers from that game – Fraser and Brooks – are on the bench today.

So… remember when I said the Championship playoffs were always exciting and packed full of action? Looks like Norwich v Leeds has been more of a slow burner. Still 0-0 going into the final stages. Our MBM has you covered.

Some analysis of the team news now and you will struggle to see two sets of substitutes stronger than these, in Championship terms.

West Brom’s replacements have plenty of Premier League pedigree and a strong whiff of 2016 about them, while Saints being able to boast Ryan Fraser, David Brooks and Joe Rothwell on their bench is frankly outrageous.

That’s not to decry the ability of any of the starters. Adam Armstrong has been one of the Championship’s best players this season, although the absence of Che Adams is a blow – Martin said Southampton are managing the striker’s fitness through these playoffs. You suspect Grady Diangana will have to step up if West Brom are to progress to Wembley; he’s the creative hub of Carlos Corberán’s side.

West Brom: Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, Kipré, Townsend; Mowatt, Yoksulu; Fellows, Diangana, Johnston; Thomas-Asante

Subs: Griffiths, Ajayi, Wallace, Phillips, Chalobah, Weimann, Swift, Reach, M’Vila.

Southampton: McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens; Smallbone, Downes, Aribo; Manning, Mara, Armstrong

Subs: Lumley, Stewart, Bree, Rothwell, Sulemana, Edozie, Charles, Fraser, Brooks

Welcome! The denouement to the Premier League is looking increasingly predictable so, as usual, the Football League playoffs are the place to look for nail-biting end-of-season drama. We’ve already had it in spades down the leagues, now the second tier takes centre-stage.

A whopping 12 points separated West Brom and Southampton in the final Championship standings after 46 games, but it would be foolhardy to suggest Saints are nailed-on for a spot in the final. Pretty much anything could happen in these two legs, the first of which takes place at The Hawthorns on this sunny Sunday afternoon. Expect the Baggies’ fans, Boiler Man in tow, to make a racket today and make things tough for Russell Martin’s Southampton. There’s probably a joke about things boiling over but it’s evading me …

Kick off is at 2.15pm BST.