The Hawthorns is home to one of England’s most iconic footballing sides, West Bromwich Albion. The ground was inaugurated back in the 1900s and has a capacity of around 27,000 seats in which die-hard Albion fans enjoy watching their side week in, week out. In 2020 the club celebrated 120 years at the Hawthorns.
Join us as we take a trip down memory lane and witness some of the greatest games played out in from of Albion’s adoring fans.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION VS MANCHESTER UNITED
2012/13 Season
Without a doubt, one of the memorable days at the Hawthorns is when the Baggies spoiled the great Sir Alex Ferguson’s final day celebrations by playing out and securing an entertaining 5-5 draw.
The Champions elect started well and got themselves in front through a Shinji Kagawa header before an unfortunate own goal and a Buttner strike left them leading 3-0 in the first 30 minutes of the game.
Morrison left it late in the first half to bring West Brom back into the contest after scoring acrobatically to seal a 3-1 scoreline going into halftime.
Romelu Lukaku was subbed on at the break and made an instant impact as he caught on to a backheeled pass from Jones, moving the ball towards the centre circle and curling it in past Lungard in goal with his weaker foot.
Manchester United responded and quickly found the back of the net through their star striker Robin Van Persie. Later on, Giggs on the left-hand side crossed in a driven ball finding a clinical Chicarito who tapped in the 5-2 for the Red Devils.
After conceding two goals in quick succession, the Baggies bounced back through the substitute Romelu Lukaku who calmly finished from a through ball. A couple of minutes later Malumbu played in Jones, who returned the favour, leaving him in acres of space to find the bottom left corner to make it 5-4 with 10 minutes left on the clock.
In the end, it was Lukaku’s day and through a scrappy bit of defending his effort at goal was deflected and he headed his third making it 5-5 overall.
The perfect game of football to congratulate one of the greatest coaches as his glorious trophy-laden career came to an end that faithful day.
Enjoy the match highlights, here.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION VS FC VALENCIA
UEFA CUP 1978/79 Season
Apart from the many great footballing days enjoyed at The Hawthorns, there were some nights under the floodlights that stand out above the rest, one, in particular, was against Valencia in the UEFA Cup.
The Baggies were enjoying one of the greatest seasons, being second in the Premier League at the time and playing against Valencia in the UEFA Cup for a chance to progress to the competition’s Quarter-Finals. In the first leg which was played in Spain, the Baggies held on to a 1-1 draw, thanks to a goal from Brown.
At The Hawthorns the Baggies made good use of their home advantage as they piled on the pressure from the early stages of the game. Brown got his name back on the score sheet after calmly converting a penalty from the 12 yards to give his side the edge in the contest.
West Brom continued to press on to find another goal and give themselves a buffer. After striking the woodwork, Cunningham beat Valencia’s left-back for pace and whipped an inch-perfect cross towards Brown who on the volley, swivelled and scored the 2-0, sending the Hawthorns into ruptures.
This win has been ingrained in the memory of West Brom’s faithful supporters as one of the best European nights at the Hawthorns and you can watch the highlights, here.
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