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This evening, we have another from our series covering the video histories of the clubs of the next seasons Premier League season and tonights featured club is West Bromwich Albion, featuring six of their matches from the period between 1966 and 1981. Our first match is the second leg of the 1966 League Cup final against West Ham United, which Albion went into having lost the first leg at Upton Park by two goals to one. Next up is a match from two years later, that years FA Cup final at Wembley against Everton, and then we skip forward another three years to 1971 and one of the most infamous matches of the early 1970s, when West Bromwich Albion travelled to Elland Road to play a Leeds United side that was chasing the league championship.
Our final three matches come from the clubs golden period of the late 1970s. First up is a famous trip to Old Trafford at the end of December 1978 to play Manchester United, a performance which sealed the growing reputation of a team that would become one of the nearly-teams of the era, and then comes a match from April of the following year, a home derby match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Our final match sees them back at The Hawthorns again, this time for a home league match against Liverpool from the 1980/81 season.
A Baggies fan since 1964, I was at the Hawthorns League Cup Final tie in 1966. This brought it all back – thank you !
Although having seen my first Albion match in 62/63 I couldn’t get to the 66 League Cup Final, so I don’t have any direct memories of the match.
However, that match always brings a smile because of a schoolfriend who only ever went to one football match – that May night at The Hawthorns.
Steve had never shown any interset in football, but was prsuaded to go along because of the occasion. Just like most 12 year olds, the place he found for himself was right behind (or more probabloy on) the wall behind the goal.
Everything was fine, until Geoff Hurst unleashed a shot – off target so it didn’t trouble the goalie. Unfortunately it did trouble Steve – full in the face !
Steve came to with the first aid people around him. He saw nothing else of that match, and certainly didn’t care to go to another game.
Sadly we lost Steve just a few years later whilst still a teenager – but seeing that clip reminded me of a good friend and his loose (but painful !) connection to a soon-to-be World Cup hero.