Wolves v West Brom: What the Black Country derby means to two of our writers | OneFootball

The Black Country derby returns this weekend, rekindling a 140-year rivalry that began in 1886 and once peaked with Wolves and West Bromwich Albion finishing first and second in 1954.

ExpressAndStar.com notes that the clubs have not met in the league since 2021 during lockdown, and their last clash, in the FA Cup in January 2024, was ill-tempered. With Wolves relegated to the Championship last season, Sunday has loomed large.

Wolves fan James Vukmirovic traces his allegiance to a 6-2 win over Newcastle in 1992. His derby memories swing from Iwan Roberts’ hat-trick at the Hawthorns in 1996 to setbacks like Keith Curle’s own goal in 1997, a skied penalty in 1999, falling behind Albion in the 2002 promotion race and the 5-1 defeat in 2012 that preceded Mick McCarthy’s exit.

He says the rivalry’s bite is not for him, stressing friendships across the divide. He hopes for passion without incident and a Wolves win, while accepting Albion’s quality means it could be tight.

Albion supporter Rob Smith frames his fandom through heartache, citing Guochuan Lai’s ownership, taxi-gate, play-off pain and short managerial reigns. He missed the 5-1 at Molineux but was hooked by a 2-0 win over Southampton in 2012, then enjoyed Steve Clarke’s high-water 2013, with Romelu Lukaku scoring 17 league goals and standouts including Youssouf Mulumbu, Claudio Yacob, Chris Brunt, James Morrison, Gareth McAuley, Jonas Olsson and Ben Foster.

He recalls a 3-2 win at Molineux in 2021, Matheus Pereira scoring twice from the spot behind closed doors. The 2024 FA Cup scenes shocked him, and both clubs have warned troublemakers this week.

Smith looks to Morrison’s influence again and would happily take 1-0, noting Wolves’ theoretical edge from their recent top-flight spell. He could not get a ticket, remains determined to attend one day and says Albion’s historical edge counts for little when the whistle goes at midday on Sunday.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com

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