
Back in August 1930, West Bromwich Albion embarked upon a season the like of which the game had never seen before, has not seen since and which - and I think we can safely bet the family silver, if there's any left, on this - will never be seen again. From the depths of the Second Division - that's the Championship these days - the Throstles mounted what remains the single most extraordinary campaign in their entire history, for not only did they fight their way to promotion but, in a land before squad rotation, they battled through to Wembley Stadium and carried off the FA Cup to boot. It's only right that we this milestone is marked, due homage paid to a time when imperishable Albion legends such as Tommy Glidden, Stan Wood, Teddy Sandford and W.G. Richardson left an indelible mark on the history of the football club and the wider game in general, creating history that will never be surpassed. Preparing for 1930/31, it was very clear that the year ahead was going to be a vital one for the future of the football club. For if the financial gulf between First and Second Division clubs was not at the monumental levels that it is today, it's still true to say that the longer you stayed away from the top table, the harder it would be to find a seat there again. Just as becoming an established First Division club means you're psychologically less likely to worry about the drop, so being mired in the Second Division for any length of time means that you stop considering yourselves to be a member of the elite. Promotion was becoming imperative.Not that it was easy, for the division was packed with big clubs looking to elbow their way back into the big time. Albion were joined by Tottenham Hotspur, the Wolves, Preston, Stoke and Nottingham Forest amongst others while having just taken the drop from the First Division were Burnley and Everton, the team that still featured the legendary Dixie Dean up front. Being one of the best two teams in that league was going to be a prop
Page Count:
134
Publication Date:
2021-04-15
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