If only it was May.

Chris Hughton's Albion are 13th in the Premier League, which coincidentally is their highest-ever finish in the top flight.

That was in 1981-82 under Mike Bailey, another manager who knew how to set up a side to get results within the boundaries of your limitations at elite level.

Even at this early stage, the value of Hughton's first ever victory as a manager against his former club Newcastle cannot be over-stated.

If Albion had lost, they would have been in the bottom four.

In all probability, they would have gone to Arsenal on Sunday in the relegation zone, since Bournemouth and West Ham are at home on Saturday against Leicester and Swansea respectively.

The mindset for the daunting trip to the Emirates would have been totally different.

It feels now more like an occasion which can be enjoyed, rather than endured.