West Brom have drawn Black Country rivals Wolves at home in what is surely the biggest game of the FA Cup fourth round which will play out in front of ITV cameras on Sunday lunchtime.
Carlos Corberan‘s West Brom face fierce Black Country rivals Wolves in the next round of the FA Cup, after Wanderers earned a late win over Brentford in the third round replay last week.
It’s the first time that the two teams have met in three years, but it’s been much longer since fans were able to enjoy the unique atmosphere that comes with this historic derby amid a Covid-plagued season the last time both sides were in the Premier League.
Fans have not been present at a Black Country Derby since Albion’s infamous 5-1 win at Molineux inspired by a Peter Odemwingie hat-trick in 2012.
And with the two in fine form this season, it should make for a very competitive and exciting clash at The Hawthorns where the Wolves hold a frankly embarrassing record of late, and by “of late” we mean nearly three decades!
When did Wolves last beat West Brom at The Hawthorns?
It’s been 27 years since Wolves last beat West Brom at The Hawthorns.
Wolves’ last win at the home of the Baggies was way back in 1996; a 4-2 win in the old Division 1.
Iwan Roberts netted a hat-trick for Wolves that day, in what the Welshman described as ‘one of the best days in my footballing life’.
How many times have West Brom and Wolves met since then?
Since then, the two teams have met 24 times in all competitions, with the bulk of those games coming in the second tier, although the last six meetings have been in the Premier League.
The Baggies have won 13 of these 24 games with Wolves, losing just four; West Brom’s last defeat vs Wolves was at Molineux in 2011.
How the world has changed since Wolves last won at The Hawthorns
1996 was an eventful year to day the least.
Not only was it the last time that Wolves beat West Brom at The Hawthorns, but it was also a year that boasted some memorable events both here and around the world.
Nintendo 64
Before the next-gen consoles of today like the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox One, we had the Nintendo 64. Teenagers of 2024 would laugh us oldies out of town with one luck at this iconic 90s gaming console, but trust us, at the time the N64 was revolutionary following it’s initial release in Japan in 1996.
There was no online playback then, just your trusted m-shaped controller and a game pak that would often take multiple attempts of blowing dust out of the bottom to get it working; these were different times! But games like Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007 and Star Fox 64 made it worth the hassle.
Mad Cow Disease hits the UK
Mad Cow Disease was first reported to be transmissible to humans in 1996, following an outbreak in the UK. Following a number of deaths, fast food giant McDonald’s suspended the sale of British beef products in its restaurants. Around 4.4 million animals were slaughtered as a result of the outbreak that was linked to 178 deaths in the UK.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles officially divorce
Around 1 billion people in 74 different countries tuned in to watch the late Princess Diana tie the knot with our now King Charles in 1981. But just 15 years later, their marriage would come to an end. The pair had grown apart and right under the watchful eye of the public, with the pair having informally separated years earlier.
Spice Girls release ‘Wannabe’
Music of the 90s had its ups and downs. But one song that went right up to the top of the charts was Spice Girls’ hit single ‘Wannabe’. It was their debut single and it went on to spend seven weeks at the top of the UK singles chart in 1996, kick-starting a successful stint in the music industry for the girl group, who are still touring to this day.
First Mission Impossible film is released
The first of several Mission Impossible films was released back in 1996. Tom Cruise became Ethan Hunt in the popular series which released its seventh edition last year, with an eighth lined up for 2025.
The first Mission Impossible film surpassed $457million in box offices sales and became the fourth-highest grossing movie of 1996, behind Independence Day, the first ever Toy Story movie from the year before, and Seven.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air airs for the final time
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a hit sitcom from the 1990s. It’s popularity spilled over long after it aired for the final time in 1996, launching Will Smith as a Hollywood A-Lister at the same time.
The show aired for six years and six seasons, with 148 episodes. Not only was the show a hugely popular hit around the world, but The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air received widespread praise for its ability to encapsulate and reflect the struggles facing young people at the time, whilst also being a stage for new music artists and fashion trends to come to light.
Terry Venables resigns as England boss
In football, Terry Venables resigned as England manager following the conclusion of Euro 1996, which goes down as one of the most memorable England showings at a major tournament of all time.
The Three Lions reached the semi-finals but were knocked out by eventual winners Germany, though it was Paul Gascoigne’s iconic lob and volley goal against Scotland that comes to the mind of many when reminiscing about Euro 96.
Take That announce their split
Take That were one of the biggest boy bands of the 1990s, setting up at the start of the decade and splitting up in 1996. In the 90s they won three Brit Awards and had countless no.1 hits including Pray, Relight My Fire, and Back For Good in 1995, which topped the charts both here and in the USA, and in countries around the world.
The group officially announced their break up in February 2006 but would reunited almost 10 years later in 2005, and they’re still touring the globe to this date.
‘Dolly the Sheep’ is born
A blast from science past, Dolly the Sheep was born, or rather cloned in 1996.
The Finn-Dorset sheep became the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult somatic cell, at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh. She lived for seven years and her remains can be viewed in the National Museum of Scotland.
Alan Shearer becomes the world’s most expensive footballer
Before the days when players, good or bad, would go for fees exceeding £100million, there were players like Alan Shearer, who was once the world’s most expensive footballer.
After a successful four-year spell at Blackburn Rovers which saw Shearer lift the Premier League trophy in 1995, Shearer was sold to Newcastle United for a word record fee of £15million, or around £30million in today’s climate.
Shearer would go on to reach 260 Premier League goals, making him to this day the Premier League’s all-time leading goal-scorer.