The move from The Four Acres to Stoney Lane came from a need to move to more spacious accommodation due to the growing popularity of the club. Several sites had been viewed until a lease was offered by a local undertaker Mr H Webb, who owned a field at the rear of the Sandwell Brewery. The lease was for seven years and an annual rent of £28 was agreed. Work began almost immediately to convert the ground into a suitable home for The Albion.The field was returfed and ashes were laid around the playing area. A wooden grandstand affectionately known as The Noah's Ark Stand was built It was on the Brewery side which ran along Sandwell Road North which was covered in the centre for 600 spectators. The uncovered portions at each end held a further 1500 spectators. The opposite side of the ground was covered in ash and it was gradually raised back so everyone got a good view although it had no covering at all and could have been very slippy on rainy days.The first season tickets at Stoney Lane cost Five Shillings ( 25p ) the usual admission charge being six pennys (2 1/2 p).The first game played at Stoney Lane was against The Third Lanark Rifle Volunteers from Glasgow 5th September 1885 Albion won 4 - 1 with the first goal coming after 5 minutes from Tom Green.
Over the fifteen years spent at Stoney Lane this was probably the clubs most successful playing over 350 games there and losing only 70. They scored over 900 goals and were undefeated in 14 consecutive FA Cup matches between 1885 and 1893 that run ending with a 3 - 2 defeat by Blackburn Rovers in the First Round.In the 1885-86 season WBA beat Aston Unity 4 - 1in the First Round which began a run to their first ever FA Cup Final appearance. The tie took place 31st October 1885 in front 0f 4,027 fans at Stoney Lane. Two goals each from Tom Green and Ezra Woodhall put the Albion safely through to Round two to face local rivals Wednesbury Old Athletic again at home. Wednesbury were seeking revenge for being beaten 4-2 by The Albion the previous season again in Round Two, only 3,578 turned out for a thrilling game which ended 3-2 with Loach scoring two and George Bell the third. Albion received a bye in the third round but on Saturday 2nd January 1886 Albion met their Arch rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers for the first time in the FA Cup although the two sides had met in four friendly's Albion winning 3 and twice in The Birmingham Cup drawing 1 - 1 and Albion winning the replay 2- 1. This was however the first time the two sides had met in a major competition. Bell, Green and Loach again not disappointing the Home crowd of 5,196 with a 3-1 victory. On to Round Five and another home tie facing one of the older teams of the FA Cup Old Carthusians.
Old Carthusians first entered the FA Cup in the 1879 -1880 season the year The Strollers were formed and in fact won the cup on their second attempt in 1880 - 1881season. Beaten semi finalists in 1883, 1885, they were a high scoring team who despite getting byes in the third and fourth round had scored 8 goals in this seasons competition and were much fancied to go all the way this season. January 23rd 8,137 saw a hard fought game with again Tom Green scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory to put Albion through to the last eight. Brentwood, Blackburn Rovers, Small Heath Alliance, Redcar, South Shore Swifts, Old Westminsters, West Bromwich Albion. all waiting for the news of who they would meet in the 6th round Albion hoping to avoid the holders and the team who ended their previous cup run Blackburn Rovers. The draw was kind another home tie against unfancied Old Westminsters. Albion made light work of this tie with a 6-0 victory A hat trick for Gem Baylis , 2 for George Bell and one for Spry Woodhall. Gem Baylis's hat trick was the first by an Albion player in the FA Cup. The semi final to be played at Aston against Small Heath Alliance who would change thier name two years later to Small Heath and then in 1905 became Birmingham City. 4,100 turned out to witness Albions 4-0 victory Loach 2 Woodhall 2 to reach the final of the competition to be played at the Kennington Oval.
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| William McGregor Founder of the football League |
The opponents were Blackburn Rovers, who were appearing in their third successive final. Four of the Blackburn's players, Fergie Suter, Hugh McIntyre, Jimmy Brown and Jimmy Douglas were playing in their fourth final in five seasons. Fred Bunn was Albion's first-team centre-half at the time. However, he got injured and Charlie Perry replaced him for the final Albion dominated the match but Herbie Arthur, the Blackburn goalkeeper, made several good saves and the game ended in a 0-0 draw attendance 15,156 with gate recipts of £650.16,144 saw the replay which took place at the Racecourse Ground, Derby. A goal by Joe Sowerbutts gave Blackburn Rovers an early lead. In the second-half James Brown collected the ball in his own area, took the ball past several WBA players, ran the length of the field and scored one of the best goals scored in a FA Cup final. Blackburn now joined the Wanderers in achieving three successive cup final victories.This was a magnificent achievement by Albion for a team of amateurs. Seven members of the team that reached the 1886 FA Cup Final still worked at Salter's Spring Factory. This included Bob Roberts, Charlie Perry, George Woodhall, George Timmins, Ezra Horton, George Bell, and Harry Bell. All eleven players were born within a six-mile radius of West Bromwich. At the time the town had a population of 56,000 people.
Blackburn had reached the Final for a third time by virtue of a narrow 2-1 victory against Swifts in the semi-final. Their opponents this time were West Bromwich, who showed their mettle as cup fighters from the moment they set foot on the Oval pitch.Few gave Albion a chance that day, but there was a shock in store for everyone, the Rovers included, for the match finished goalless. In fact, had it not been for some great defensive work by Suter, Turner and Arthur in Rovers' goal, Albion would certainly have won.Rovers' excuse for a below-par display was that the team had got cold watching the Boat Race in the morning, had had to miss lunch, and left themselves barely enough time to drive to Kennington and get changed before the Final kicked-off. Rovers, in fact, very nearly won in the closing minutes when Fecitt's shot glanced a fraction the wrong side of a post.
The replay took place at the Derby County cricket ground, and for the first time the Cup was fought for and won outside London. Snow had fallen all through the morning of the match, only ceasing shortly before the kick-off, and yet a 12,000 crowd gathered to see the game.Rovers, now with Walton in for Heyes, led at half-time with a goal by Sowerbutts, scored after twenty-six minutes as a result of a raid in which Walton and Fecitt were prominent. The same player again beat Roberts, but the Rovers players made no appeal for a goal. thinking him offside. Later it transpired that the referee would have been willing to allow the goal to stand, as Sowerbutts had been played on by an Albion defender.Albion, with their famous rushing tactics, fought like demons, and constantly harried Arthur in the Rovers goal. At a time when Albion were striving hard for an equalizer, a memorable goal by centre-forward Jimmy Brown clinched victory for Rovers with seventeen minutes to go. An Albion attack broke down and Brown collected a pass from M'lntyre well inside his own half, and suddenly set off on a run for goal. He dribbled past man after man and at last slipped the ball between the Albion posts for a wonderful individualist goal.
On Saturday 2nd April, for the first time, but by no means the last, the Final was fought out by two sides from the Birmingham area. Albion, after their splendid 3-1 win against the Scottish imports of Preston North End in the semi-final, were expected to win, and they certainly began the match as if they had the world at their feet.
Saturday 24th March, before an attendance of 19000 crowd, after two Final defeats in successive years, Albion won at the third attempt. Preston, their opponents, had annihilated Hyde 26-0 in an earlier round, to this day a record score in the Cup competition, and had forty-three consecutive victories to their credit and a Cup goal-tally of fifty for and only two against.They were so supremely confident of winning the Final, so the story goes, that their captain actually asked if the team could be photographed with the trophy before the match.
For the first time a ground was closed for a football match - on a 17,000 crowd inside the Oval - and unfancied Albion gained a popular, if surprising, victory. A side of purely local Staffordshire extraction, with a weekly wage bill of £10, took on 'Proud Preston', a team of highly paid artists, and won by two goals (Bayliss and Woodhall) to one, after Dew-hurst's equalizer for Preston had been hotly disputed.There is no doubt that all the clubs involved found the League was a success. The original rules required the last four clubs to retire and apply for re-election; all were successful in 1889, so the second season started with the same twelve clubs.The 1892 FA Cup final was to be the last staged at Kennington Oval a crowd of 32, 810 watched Albion beat arch rival Aston Villa 3-0. The result was telegraphed back to West Bromwich which was recieved with shock as Villa had been firm favourites having beaten Albion 5 years earlier in 1887. They also boasted Janes Cowan a dominating centre half and Charlie Athersmith a right winger who was only 19 but already an established England international. Albion had talent of their own in Billy Bassett who had starred in the
1888 win over Preston North End.From the kick off Albion put the pressure on Villa and within four minutes 21 year old Jasper Geddes put the underdogs in front. Sammy Nicholls added the second and third comming from"Baldy" Reynolds . Warner the Villa goalkeeper bore much of the blame for his sides defeat, particulary among the Villa supporters who smashed the windows of his business, a public house.
The 2010–11 season was West Bromwich Albion's fifth season in the Premier League. Albion return to the Premier League after being promoted from the Championship. West Brom confirmed their promotion back to the Premier League on 10 April 2010 after a 3–2 win over Doncaster Rovers, and retained their new top-flight status, finishing 11th.West Bromwich Albion Premier League Tickets are available at FootballTicketExchangeOnline.com at affordable price. Football fans can buy or sell Football Tickets especially West Bromwich Albion Premiership Football Tickets at FootballTicketExchangeOnline.com conveniently.
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