Black Country derby facts for kids

The Black Country derby is a big football match. It's usually between two English teams: West Bromwich Albion (often called Albion) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (known as Wolves). These teams are only about 11 miles (18 km) apart. They are both in an area of England called the Black Country.

Sometimes, other local teams like Walsall also play in a Black Country derby. But these matches are less common. That's because Walsall usually plays in a lower football league. Albion and Wolves have played each other 160 times. They have played Walsall much less often.

In 2008, a survey asked 6,000 football fans across England. They said the rivalry between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers was the strongest in English football.

History of the Rivalry

How it Started

The first Black Country derbies happened a long time ago. This was even before the official Football League began. The very first derby was on 20 January 1883. Albion won that game 4–2.

Wolves and Albion first played each other in the FA Cup in 1886 and 1887. Albion won both times. They even reached the FA Cup final in those years! Walsall's first games against Wolves and Albion were also in the FA Cup. These were in 1889 and 1900.

Both West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers helped start the Football League in 1888. This makes their derby one of the oldest league rivalries in the world. They played each other every year for the first 13 league seasons. At first, not many people watched these games. But football became more popular. By 1906–07, over 20,000 fans would come to watch. This made the rivalry even stronger.

The Golden Age of Derbies

The Albion–Wolves derby was most exciting in the 1950s. Both teams were top clubs in English football. They were in the First Division from 1949 to 1965. Wolves were very strong in the 1950s. They won the league title three times and the FA Cup twice. Albion was also a great team. They were known for their exciting attacking style. Albion won the FA Cup in 1954.

The 1953–54 season was special. It was the only time both teams finished as the top two clubs in the country. Wolves won the league title that year. Albion finished second, just four points behind. Even though Albion was top for most of the season. Because Wolves won the league and Albion won the cup, they played in the Charity Shield in 1954. This was the only time they met in a final. The game ended in a thrilling 4–4 draw. Over 45,000 fans watched at Molineux.

Through the rest of the 1900s, the teams played often. The longest time they didn't play was six years in the 1980s. Walsall usually stayed in lower leagues. So, they didn't play Albion or Wolves in the league for many years. But in the 1980s, Walsall played Wolves for one season in 1985–86. They also played Albion for one season in 1988–89.

When the Premier League started in 1992, Albion and Wolves were not in the top division. But they kept playing each other in the 'new' First Division. The rivalry stayed very strong. Because of worries about fan behavior and games being shown on TV, these matches haven't been played at the usual 3 pm Saturday time since 1996. In the 1960s, there were often problems with fans. This still causes rules for local pubs on match days.

Recent Matches

In 1999, Walsall surprisingly got promoted to the First Division. This meant that in the 1999–2000 season, all three teams were in the same division for the first time ever! Walsall did very well against their rivals that year. They beat Albion twice and won away at Molineux against Wolves. Albion and Wolves drew both their league games. Albion and Walsall were fighting to avoid being relegated. In the end, Walsall went down a league. This ended the three-way Black Country derbies after just one season.

A year later, Walsall got promoted again. So, in the 2001–02 season, all three teams were at the same level once more. This time, Albion and Wolves were both trying to get promoted. They played each other twice early in the season. They drew 1–1 at the Hawthorns. Then Albion won 1–0 at Molineux. By March 2002, Wolves were ten points ahead of Albion. But Albion played much better in their last eight games. They earned 22 points, while Wolves only got 9. This meant Albion got promoted automatically on the last day of the season! Wolves then lost in the play-offs.

Albion was relegated from the Premier League after just one season. Then Wolves took their place in the top league. To make things worse for Albion, Walsall beat them 4–1 on the first day of the 2003–04 season. But Albion had the last laugh. They got promoted again. And Walsall went down to a lower league.

After five years without a derby, Albion and Wolves met five times in the 2006–07 season. This was a record! Albion won the first game 3–0. Then Wolves won 1–0 at Molineux. They also met in the FA Cup. Albion won 3–0 at Molineux. A big disturbance happened in the city center after that game. At the end of the season, both clubs finished with the same points. They met in the Championship play-offs. Albion won both games, winning 4–2 overall. But they lost the final at Wembley.

In the 2010–11 season, the two teams played in the Premier League for the first time. This was their first top-flight derby in almost 27 years. The first game at the Hawthorns ended 1–1. Wolves scored first, but Albion got a goal in injury time. In the return game at Molineux, Wolves won 3–1. This win was very important in helping Wolves avoid being relegated.

The most recent games between Albion and Wolves were in the 2011–12 season. Both clubs were in the top league again. Albion beat their rivals twice in the league for the first time since 1997–98. They won 2–0 at the Hawthorns. Then they crushed Wolves 5–1 at Molineux. Peter Odemwingie scored three goals in that game. Wolves' manager was fired the next day. Wolves were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season.

Wolves continued to struggle. They were relegated again the next season. They met Walsall in League One in 2013–14. The two Black Country rivals played twice in the league. They also played once in the Football League Trophy. The most recent derby was a 3–0 win for Wolves at Bescot Stadium in March 2014.

The 2020-21 season saw Wolves and Albion play each other for the first time in 9 years. Albion had just been promoted. Their first game at Molineux on 16 January 2021 ended in a 3-2 win for Albion. Matheus Pereira scored two penalties. Semi Ajayi scored the winning goal for West Brom.

As of the 2020-21 season, the three clubs are in different leagues. Wolves and Albion are in the Premier League. Walsall is in the EFL League Two.

Derby Statistics

Albion vs. Wolves

Team Trophies

Walsall vs. Wolves

Team Trophies

Walsall vs. Albion

Team Trophies