Neha Patil (Editor)

Black Country derby

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Locale
  
Black Country

Most wins
  
West Bromwich Albion

Teams
  
West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers Walsall

First meeting
  
15 December 1888 Wolves 0-1 West Brom

Latest meeting
  
Walsall 0–3 Wolves (8 March 2014)

Largest victory
  
Wolves 0–8 West Brom (27 December 1893)

The Black Country derby is most commonly the local derby between the English football teams West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The term 'Black Country derby' can also be given to a match between either of these teams and Walsall F.C though such matches are less common as a result of the teams' relative league positionings - as of 2013, Albion and Wolves have played only 14 and 15 competitive matches respectively against Walsall, compared to 160 games against each other. All three clubs are in different divisions as of the 2014–15 season.

Contents

According to a survey by The Football Pools published in 2008, Albion versus Wolves is the fiercest rivalry in English football.

History

The derby is one of the oldest in the world, with both clubs founder members of the English Football league. The derby is one of the most passionately contested in the country, with both clubs being of similar size with similar fanbases. The game attracts large crowds at The Hawthorns and Molineux. The record attendance for the derby is 60,945, set on 4 March 1950 in a 1–1 draw at The Hawthorns. That same season 56,661 saw the two sides draw 1-1 at Molineux. Both stand today as record league attendances for both clubs. The first ever Black Country derby took place on 20 January 1883, when Albion won 4–2 in the third round of the Birmingham Senior Cup. The teams first met in the FA Cup on 2 January 1886, when Albion won 3–1 en route to reaching the final. In all, there have been 159 Black Country Derbies, seeing 62 Albion wins, 53 Wolves wins and 44 draws. Albion's record victory against Wolves was an 8-0 away win in 1893, whilst Wolves' greatest victory was 7-0 at Molineux in 1963. The derby reached is zenith in the 1950s when both sides challenged at the top of English football when Wolves enjoyed League and Cup domination for a good deal of the 1950s whilst Albion were also a strong side, renowned for their attacking flair. The derby has always been fierce although it is worth noting that for a long time Albion fans considered Aston Villa to be their main rivals. However, during the 1990s, when both sides were languishing in the second tier with just local pride to play for, Villa were in the top division, leading to a more heated rivalry surrounding the more common matches between the lower-tier sides. Most Albion fans now consider Wolves to be their greatest rivals whilst fans of Wolves have always considered Albion to be their main rivals.

The two teams have only ever met once in the final of any competition - the Charity Shield in 1954. At the time, Wolves, under manager Stan Cullis, were widely regarded one of the best teams in the world with their fast attacking style of play, whilst Albion were famed for their unique brand of attacking football. The game finished 4–4 in front of a Molineux crowd of 45,035. The scorers that night were Roy Swinbourne (2), Norman Deeley and Johnny Hancocks for Wolves and Ronnie Allen (3) and Reg Ryan for Albion. The previous season had seen Wolves pip Albion to the league title as the latter came close to completing the first 20th century English double, winning their fourth FA Cup. Albion had topped the table for the majority of the season but collapsed late on losing by four points 53-57. It is worth noting that Wolves beat Albion home and away that year, winning 1-0 both times, which proved crucial in the end.

The derby featured in the first 14 consecutive seasons of the Football League. However, the clubs once went 13 years without facing each other between 1911 and 1924 after West Brom were promoted from Division 2 while Wolves remained at that level for the intervening time. In the subsequent time, the derby has featured almost annually or with minor breaks, with the longest gap since occurring between April 1984 and October 1989.

Another major event in the rivalry between the two clubs was West Brom's promotion to the Premier League in 2001–02 season. With nine games of the season remaining for both clubs, Wolves were ten points ahead of West Brom but gained only 10 more points compared to West Brom's 23 and West Brom clinched automatic promotion in second place on the final day of the season with a 2-0 win at home to Crystal Palace. Wolves were subsequently beaten in the play-offs by Norwich City.

The 2006–07 season saw the teams meet a record 5 times. West Brom took the first meeting with a 3-0 win at The Hawthorns. Wolves won in the return fixture at Molineux 1-0. The clubs also met in the FA Cup with West Brom winning 3-0 at Molineux - with a major riot following in the city centre as hundreds of fans clashed. 11 police officers were injured in the chaos. The other two matches were both won by West Brom, in the Championship Play-offs, sending them through to the final (4-2 on aggregate), which they lost to Derby.

Hooliganism has been a major problem in the derby since the 1960s and recent years have seen the police intervene more closely in the timing of the games. The fixture has not been staged at the traditional English kick-off time of 3pm on a Saturday since 1996, although this has also often been at the request of television. Friction between the two clubs' fanbases has also seen major restrictions on local pubs on match days.

On 20 February 2011 the two sides met for the first time in the Premier League (the last top flight derby being in the First Division 27 years earlier) at the Hawthorns and the match ended 1-1 thanks to goals in either half from Jamie O'Hara and an injury time point saver from Carlos Vela, thus preventing a first away win for Wolves at Albion for 14 years. Unfortunately this led to ugly scenes after the match with fans clashing, with a flare being thrown by Wolves fans and seats being thrown back by Albion fans. On 8 May 2011 at Molineux, in the return fixture of the 2010-11 Premier League season, Wolves claimed the bragging rights in a 3-1 win with goals from Steven Fletcher (2) and Adlene Guedioura cancelling out Peter Odemwingie's penalty. The victory was particularly crucial in helping Wolves survive.

On 16 October 2011, the sides met at The Hawthorns and West Brom reclaimed the bragging rights thanks to a 2-0 win, with goals in each half from Chris Brunt and Peter Odemwingie. The last derby to date occurred on 12 February 2012, West Brom humiliated Wolves by winning 5-1 away at Molineux. Striker Peter Odemwingie grabbed a hat-trick while former Wolves midfielder Keith Andrews and Jonas Olsson sealed the victory. Wolves manager Mick McCarthy was sacked the next day, after his team had picked up just 14 points from a possible 66, and Wolves were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season.

Honours

Wolves have won the league championship three times, compared to Albion's one title. Whilst Albion have won the FA Cup five times and Wolves have won four times, Wolves have won the League Cup twice and Albion have won it once. Albion have also won the Charity Shield (now titled the Community Shield) twice (once shared), with Wolves winning on four occasions (three shared). Wolves reached the UEFA Cup final in 1972 and have spent more time in European competitions than West Bromwich Albion. The two clubs shared the Charity Shield together in 1954. Wolves have recorded more victories against Albion than any other club (in Football League & FA Cup matches). Albion have won all but one of the FA cup encounters between the two rivals.

List of derbies

Here is a list of all the Black Country derbies:

WBA and Wolves

The following footballers have played for both West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers:

The most notable of these is Steve Bull. As an Albion player he played just 5 games, with 3 goals, but was sold by manager Ron Saunders to Wolves, then in the fourth division. He went on to become Wolverhampton's record goalscorer.

Walsall and WBA

  • William Adams began his career at WBA in 1924 before moving to Walsall in 1925, where he finished his career in 1927.
  • Gilbert Alsop made over 150 appearances for Walsall between 1931 and 1935 before moving to WBA, where he stayed until 1937. He eventually returned to Walsall in 1938, making a further 100 or so appearances during the war before finally retiring in 1948.
  • Colin Anderson made almost 150 appearances for WBA between 1985 and 1991 before joining Walsall for one season.
  • Brett Angell joined WBA on loan from Sunderland in 1996. Later in his career he played for Walsall between 2000 and 2002.
  • Harry Aston began his career with WBA in 1904 and moved to Walsall in 1905. He left the Saddlers in 1907.
  • Dave Barnett joined WBA in 1989 and left to join Walsall a year later. However he left after less than four months to join Kidderminster Harriers.
  • Jem Bayliss played the majority of his career for WBA between 1884 and 1891. He then spent a few months at Walsall in 1891 before ending his career.
  • Lewis Bedford began his career with WBA in 1920 before joining Walsall in 1922. He made almost 100 appearances before signing for Sheffield Wednesday in 1925. He returned to Fellows Park a year later, only to leave again in 1927 for Nelson. He once again rejoined the Saddlers in 1928, but left for the third time after just two months to join Luton Town. He returned for his fourth spell with Walsall in 1929, and finally retired in 1931 after almost 150 appearances.
  • Trevor Benjamin joined WBA on loan from Leicester City in 2002. He later had an equally short loan spell at Walsall from Peterborough United in 2007.
  • Sid Bowser began his career with WBA in 1908 and made over 100 appearances before leaving to join Belfast Distiller in 1913. He returned to the Hawthorns a year later and made a further 218 appearances before joining Walsall in 1924. He retired after three years at Fellows Park in 1927.
  • Darren Bradley joined WBA in 1986 and signed for Walsall in 1995 after over 250 appearances for the Baggies. He retired in 1997 after two years at the Bescot Stadium.
  • Alistair Brown joined WBA in 1971 and made over 250 appearances before his departure in 1983. After a very short spell at Crystal Palace, he joined Walsall later the same year before moving on in 1984.
  • Matt Carbon joined WBA in 1998 and left for Walsall in 2001 after more than 100 appearances for the Baggies. He departed the Bescot Stadium for Barnsley in 2004.
  • Adam Chambers began his career with WBA between 1999 and 2005. He currently plays for Walsall after signing in 2011.
  • James Chambers (twin brother of Adam) was an academy graduate at WBA, also joining the first team in 1999. He left a year before his brother, in 2004, but they were reunited in 2012 when James joined Walsall.
  • Gary Childs was an academy graduate at WBA, joining the first team in 1982. He joined Walsall a year later and made almost 150 appearances before departing in 1987.
  • Joe Connor joined WBA in 1898 and left to join Walsall a year later. He departed for Bristol City in 1901.
  • Nicky Cross began his career with WBA in 1980 and made over 100 appearances before joining Walsall in 1985. He spent two years at Fellows Park and made a further 109 appearances before joining Leicester City.
  • Reg Davies began his career with WBA in 1953 and joined Walsall in 1955. He left Fellows Park after two years to join Millwall.
  • Alf Dean began his career at Walsall in 1894 and joined WBA in 1896. He returned to the Saddlers in 1898 and left for good in 1901.
  • Peter Doherty made wartime guest appearances for both WBA and Walsall during his time at Manchester City.
  • Paul Downing was an academy graduate at WBA, joining the first team in 2009. He currently plays at Walsall after signing from the Baggies in 2012.
  • Jimmy Dudley was an academy graduate at WBA, joining the first team in 1945. He made almost 300 appearances before joining Walsall in 1959, where he made a further 167 appearances. He left Fellows Park in 1964 to join Stourbridge.
  • Graham Fenton joined WBA on loan from Aston Villa in 1994. He later had a spell at Walsall, also on loan, this time from Leicester City, in 2000.
  • Doug Fraser made over 250 appearances for WBA from 1963 to 1971. After a period with Nottingham Forest, he joined Walsall in 1973. After one season as a player, he retired and became the club's manager until 1977.
  • Tony Godden made over 250 appearances for WBA between 1978 and 1986. He had a loan spell at Walsall in 1983-84.
  • Tony Grealish played for WBA between 1984 and 1986 and later joined Walsall in 1990. He left to join Bromsgrove Rovers in 1992.
  • Paul Hall had several loan spells during his time at Coventry City, which included both WBA and Walsall in 2000. He then joined the Saddlers permanently later the same year, leaving to join Rushden & Diamonds in 2001. He returned to the Bescot Stadium in 2007, leaving a year later to join Newport County.
  • Phil Hawker made over 150 appearances for Walsall between 1982 and 1990. He had a short loan spell at WBA during his final season with the Saddlers.
  • Ken Hodgkisson made a handful of appearances for WBA before joining Walsall in 1955. He played almost 350 games for the Saddlers before leaving to join Worcester City in 1966. After his retirement, he returned to the Hawthorns to act as a coach and youth team manager for his old club in the 1980s.
  • Chris Humphrey represented both Walsall and WBA at youth level, but never reached the first team of either. Instead he began his senior career with Shrewsbury Town in 2006.

    • All three

  • Keith Andrews began his career at Wolves in 1999 and had a period on loan at Walsall in 2004. He left Molineux in 2005 and later joined WBA in January 2012. However, he left after only five months to join Bolton Wanderers.
  • Peter Eastoe began his career at Wolves in 1971 but left in 1973 after failing to break into the first team. He later joined WBA in 1982. He had several loan spells during his time at the Hawthorns, including one at Walsall in 1984 and another at his former club Wolves in 1985. He left the Baggies permanently that same year to join S.C. Farense.
  • Don Goodman made over 150 appearances for WBA between 1987 and 1991. He then made a further 125 appearances for Wolves between 1994 and 1998. He later spent the 2001-02 season playing for Walsall.

    • References

    Black Country derby Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA