| West Bromwich Albion
is one of the oldest and proudest names in English football, and
is one of the few clubs to have won all three domestic honours.
The club was formed in 1879 by workers at the Salter's Spring Works
and were orginally known as the West Bromwich Strollers for a year
before they changed the name to West Bromwich Albion.
The newly formed team spent the next nine years playing mostly friendly
games against local rivals, until in 1888 they were joined by their
West Midlands neighbours Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers
to form three of the 12 original members of the Football League.
Since then West Bromwich Albion have been through many highs and
lows. They reached the final of the FA Cup several times
during the first decade of the Football League and eventually won
the cup in 1892.
In 1931, they achieved the so-far unique “double” of
winning promotion and the FA Cup in the same year. Going
into the 1950s, Albion proved to be on a winning streak and fans
regard this period as “the golden era”, which saw Albion
win many games including a remarkable 7-3 victory at Newcastle
United in 1953.
During the 1960s this success continued, but the 1970s saw trouble
brewing, and Albion’s luck started to run out in the 1980s.
In 1986 they were relegated from the top flight after the worst
season in the club’s history, winning just four games.
However the 1990s saw a new dawn and going into the 21st century
Albion is back in the top flight for the first time in 16 years
– the status it has enjoyed for most of its impressive history.
Other honours the club boast include being the first English
team to play in Russia, and the first English club to play
in China too.
If you want to see the team, also known as ‘The Baggies’,
do battle in the Premiership you can try and catch a game at their
home ground known as The Hawthorns [map].
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