HOME     I     CURRENT SEASON     I     CLUB DIRECTORY     I     HISTORY         SEASON ARCHIVE     I     PLAYER ARCHIVE     I     THE HAWTHORNS     I     WEBSITE
      PROGRAMME OF THE MONTH - OCTOBER 2012

Each month we take a look at an Albion ‘programme from the past’. A number of the programmes will be rarities, allowing a much wider audience to view them, perhaps for the very first time.

West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City, Division One, The Hawthorns, Saturday 21st September 1957

Albion this month play host to current Premier League champions Manchester City. These days, following huge financial investment, City are one of the top teams in Europe and highly fancied to depart West Bromwich with all three points.

The meeting comes 55 years almost to the month since the Baggies’ registered their best ever win against City, a 9-2 thrashing of the 'Blues' at The Hawthorns.

Winger Frank Griffin grabbed three of the home side’s goals whilst full-back Don Howe notched two, one of those from the penalty spot. The other Albion goalscorers were Bobby Robson, Roy Horobin, Brian Whitehouse and Derek Kevan who also netted from the penalty spot. Paddy Fagan and Roy Clarke replied for the visitors in front of a crowd of 26,222.

The two teams lined up for the game as follows:

Albion: Sanders, Howe, S Williams, Dudley, Kennedy, Barlow, Griffin, Whitehouse, Robson, Kevan, Horobin.

City: Savage, Branagan, Little, Barnes, Ewing, McTavish, Fagan, Hayes, McAdams, Marsden, Clarke.

It would not be the last ‘thrashing’ City would receive during the season, Albion themselves won a 3rd round FA Cup tie at The Hawthorns in January 5-1 whilst February would see City concede eight goals against Leicester City at Filbert Street.

It was a season of goals for both Albion and City, the Baggies hit 112 league and cup goals - the majority of which came from Ronnie Allen, Bobby Robson and Derek Kevan, whilst City had the remarkable record of becoming the only team to score and concede 100 or more league goals in a single season.

It was a successful season for both clubs, Albion, under the leadership of Vic Buckingham finished 4th, whilst City, under manager Les McDowall, finished just one place behind in 5th.

The programme itself was a typical Albion 12 page issue of the mid-late 1950s. The visitors are allocated just one page, which concentrated purely on the club's history. Three of the remaining pages are devoted to a review of Albion's tour to Russia which had taken place three months previously.

The rest of the programme, which usually sells these days for between £2-£5 depending on condition, is taken up by a mixture of information, stats and adverts.

View the complete programme here

  HOME      CURRENT SEASON       CLUB DIRECTORY      HISTORY      SEASON ARCHIVE      PLAYER ARCHIVE      THE HAWTHORNS      WEBSITE  
 © www.albiontillwedie.co.uk unless otherwise stated