Classic match report - Albion 2 Wolves 4, 1996

Coincidentally it was also one of the best footballing days for the thousands of Wolves fans who made the short trip to the Hawthorns in September 1996.

Over the past 26 years (from when the teams locked horns again in 1989 after a five-year hiatus) there is no doubt that Albion have had the better results, winning 15 to Wolves' eight, while there have been 10 draws.

And arguably the most enjoyable of those eight Wolves wins was a famous 4-2 win inspired by a hat-trick hero Roberts.

Roberts had moved from Leicester City for £1.3m just a couple of months earlier.

In his first five games he produced the same number of goals as he had front teeth - but a strike at Oxford warmed him up for the derby showdown at the Hawthorns five days later.

And in the first 28 minutes Wolves were positively scorching, with two from Roberts and another from Bull (who it's fair to say enjoyed celebrating his) putting Mark McGhee's side 3-0 up.

Albion rallied, but yet another Roberts goal shortly after half time, from a superb run and cross from Steve Froggatt, ended the contest and prompted the most joyous of scenes behind Paul Crichton's goal.

What a day.

September 15, 1996

Albion 2 Wolves 4

By David Instone

There may have been sweeter days in Wolves' recent past than this, but, right now, they probably don't spring easily to mind.

To win, go third in the table and score four at the home of your arch-rivals, with the live national TV cameras present and your two top strikers scoring the goals, was something approaching dreamland.

Which, conversely, made for an afternoon of intense depression for Albion despite the rhetoric of Alan Buckley in painting a sort of 'we were robbed' picture.

This fixture had been kind to the Hawthorns faithful for the previous three seasons. Yesterday, at least until it was too late to really matter, it was just awful.

Wolves, three up in less than half an hour, were under the cosh for five minutes after half-time and for much of the last quarter following a reviving goal from the excellent Bob Taylor.

But, despite the concession of two slightly sloppy goals, they appear to have learned the art of tighter defending, with the encouragement of having three quality centre-halves (Neil Emblen, Keith Curle and Adrian Williams) still to start a game this season.

The dynamism brought to bear in midweek by Paul Peschisolido cut no ice at all against the assured Dean Richards-Mark Atkins-Mark Venus trio.

Poor Pesch looked a boy in a man's game and lasted only until half-time. With the Taylor-Andy Hunt partnership back in useful harness from then on, Albion at least found some crumbs of comfort by building a good head of pressure in the second half.

But Wolves, while perhaps relaxing their outstanding work-rate and luckily surviving what appeared a good goal by Taylor seven minutes from time, always exuded an air of togetherness.

Impressively wound up for the occasion by manager Mark McGhee, they didn't yield as much as half a chance before Ian Hamilton's token header near the interval and, in Mike Stowell and the revitalised Atkins, had men who added greatly to the confidence of those around them.

Alas, Albion had no such backbone or resilience. Considering this back-four - supplemented then by Paul Raven - did so much to turn last season's relegation battle into a top-half placing, they were a shambles.

Perhaps Buckley should remove the sponsors' name from those striped shirts and put his players' names on because they looked in need of a few introductions.

If it's appropriate to use the analogy that Iwan Roberts must today regard goals like buses - you wait ages for one before loads come together - then you could have driven a fleet of double-deckers through this Albion rearguard.

Wolves, through headers by Roberts well inside the six-yard area, scored from their first two corners, both brilliantly curled over by the flourishing Steve Froggatt.

The winger also supplied the long throw from which Steve Bull took advantage of more statuesque defending while, for good measure, featured in the thrilling box-to-box counter-attack which led to Roberts becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in the Black Country derby since Terry Whartin in March, 1963.

Considering they were facing an orthodox 4-4-2 formation, Wolves found oceans of space on the wings, in the first half through the boundless energy of Jamie Smith and, later, through the destructive Froggatt, whose industrious contribution was highlighted by a 75th minute run three-quarters of the length of the pitch to win a corner off the tormented Paul Holmes.

Unless I'm very much mistaken, Albion weren't as fit as their rivals in what was a harrowing second game for on-loan Grimsby keeper Paul Crichton.

As Buckley said, it was never as though Wolves were raining shots and headers in on goal. They didn't need to and had a well-saved Bull effort as their only other genuine near miss.

But, with Simon Osborn picking up his inspirational form from Oxford, they were worthy masters of a side whose spirited late onslaught promises better things.

Albion, having handled this derby well since the reunion of 1989, seemed nothing like as well prepared or motivated for it yesterday. It was a cracking game - and very much Wolves' day.

Albion: Crichton, Holmes, Nicholson, Sneekes, Mardon (Donovan, 79), Burgess, Hamilton, David Smith (Gilbert, HT), Peschisolido (Taylor, HT), Hunt, Groves.

Wolves: Stowell; Atkins, Richards, Venus; Smith, Corica, Osborn, Thompson, Froggatt; Bull, Roberts. Subs: Segers, Ferguson, Wright.

Attendance: 20,711.