'I randomly picked WBA on FIFA - now I'm flying 5,000 miles to The Hawthorns'

Jay Jhaver has spent years waking up in the early hours so he can catch Albion games from his home in Phoenix, Arizona.

He believes he may be the only Baggies fan in the US state - which is 5,000 miles (8,046 km) from the club's home ground.

Jay loves the club so much that he travelled to England for the first time to watch Albion's 3-2 win against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, October 17.

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His unlikely love affair with the Black Country club started when he was looking for a team to play as on FIFA, choosing West Brom by chance.

Jay said: "Ever since then, the rest has been history."

But he said supporting a Championship club from the other side of the Atlantic can be a lonely experience.

His friends often give him puzzled looks when he mentions the team.

Jay said: "They either look at me like "what is that, I've never heard of that club" or the people who do know of it, they just laugh at me.

"They're like "Dude, why don't you just support Liverpool or Man City or someone like that?".

"I'm like "no man, it's West Brom all the way"."

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Matchdays for Jay often start at 4am or 5am local time, but it's become a way of life for him, the BBC reports.

He said: "Which, you know, is pretty hard, but when you like a team, you've got to do what you've got to do."

And there is one thing that has kept him attached to the Baggies - his fellow fans.

Jay said: "No matter what, through these financial issues, through these relegation pushes, fans have not wavered," he said.

"Whether good or bad, they're always there.

"Now I don't know if you can say that about the fair-weather Man City fans or Liverpool fans, but one thing that West Brom has is that loyalty and that's something I look for when I'm looking for a team."

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Like many Albion fans, Jay said he hopes the club's next promotion challenge eventually ends in success.

He said: "If West Brom get promoted to the Premier League, it will be one of the greatest days ever.

"So I'm just waiting for that day. Hopefully it comes soon, but I guess we'll see."

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