[ttree30]

It’s my anniversary. I went to The Hawthorns for the very first time 50 years ago on this very day.

We played Crystal Palace. The Albion team was:

Latchford

Nisbet
Wile
Robertson
Wilson

Cantello
Hartford
Merrick
Johnston

Brown, T
Suggett

Sub: Brown, A

Att: 15,163.

Ally Brown came on for Suggett at half time when the score was 0-0. Palace then promptly scored four without reply. L0-4.

And both teams were relegated. Ending our 25 year run in the top flight in which we’d very nearly done the Double, and had twice won the FA Cup as well as the League Cup.

I probably should have ended the relationship there and then, but there was no going back. The love affair with the Albion was for life and, despite all the ups and downs, it’s still going strong.

It’s also struck me looking at our team in 1973 how Don Howe may have done a bit of a “Steve Bruce” half a century back. There were some weak players who weren’t good enough (including the goalkeeper) and our centre forward (Astle) was injured nearly all the time.

But we also had some good players who were to be key figures in our late 70s team. It was a mixed bag - we weren’t great, but we should have been doing better with what we had.

And Corberan hadn’t been born then to help us out!

I’d love to know if anyone else was there for the game against Palace and remembers it. It was certainly a red letter day for me.

And what memories do you have of your first ever Albion game?

[bournemouth baggie]

I went to that game.  It was my second game ever and I seem to remember two Palace players scored twice (Derek Possee was one) and we weirdly dominated the game with Palace scoring their goals through a series of breakaways.
First game was the previous season,  also against Palace  1 all with Allt Brown scoring on debut.

[gazberg]

It was 1984. I was a wee little nipper against Everton in what is now the Premier League and it was a draw is all I can remember

[Hull Baggie]

December 1971, I was 5 years old. 1st Division game against Newcastle and we got mullered 3-0. I think Malcolm McDonald scored a hattrick. Even though we got beat and I cried, I still loved it. Remember the train back to Worcester being rammed with fans moaning (nothing changes!)

My uncle used to take me to games as my Dad worked away a lot. It was something like 9 games spread over the next 2 seasons before I finally saw us win a game!.....and then we moved to Hull in 1974!

[baggiedom]

League cup 1980 vs preston 0-0 i was 9 and sat on what seemed like a wooden bench in rainbow stand

[BAGGIES4LIFE]

My father took me to my first game at the Hawthorns in September 1958 after we moved from Plymouth to Dudley, my father was in the Army. We won 2-1,against Newcastle and Ronnie Allen scored both including a penalty. He bust the ball from the spot, became my most favourite Albion player ever since.

[LiamTheBaggie]

6 March 2004 - we beat Coventry 3-0.

Think Horsfield and Hughes were the goalscorers but I cannot remember the other one.

Attendance was 25k

[Jeremy Roland Peace]

my old man had 2 tickets to the swansea playoff game, took me to that one and my older brother who'd already been was promised the playoff final instead.

not a bad introduction to football for a 6 year old

[hardtobeat]

First two games I remember were a reserve game where we won 8-2 I think and a game against Leeds where we lost 2-1 Ray Wilson scoring for us and I left unable to believe how tall Jack Charlton was apparently! Both games were early sixties. Possibly not the first games I went to but the earliest I remember

[johnny Cash]

Felt quite young reading some of these, until Liam said 2004.

I have no real memory of my first game, I only know what my dad told me.

It was 91 at home to Stockport. I’d just turned 4 and didn’t watch any of the game. I spent the entire duration of the match playing with other kids at the front of the terrrace.   By all accounts that’s how most my first 5 or so experiences went. More excited for my glass coke in the woodman and the attention some of few women / staff  would give me.

My dad didn’t care because he wasnt paying for a ticket. He’d shuffle me in close to his legs. Either nobody looked because he’s a big guy, or they just didn’t care.

Because of this, A lot of  early Albion memories blend together. I think the first match I specifically remember was port vale away the season after (during the regular season not the final), which was my first away game. The travel, coach and occasion making it more unique I expect.

[Nickwba1]

My first was Millwall away in 1993, grand old age of 4 and half! Not sure what my dad was thinking.

[miggybaggy]

Boxing day 1967. Albion beat Man City 3 - 2 in the old first division. Dad took me into Woodman Corner. Just looked....there were 45000 there! All I remember is Dad going ape whenever we scored, and how green the grass was. And how far they could kick the ball!

[EastYorksAlbion]

I went to that game.  It was my second game ever and I seem to remember two Palace players scored twice (Derek Possee was one) and we weirdly dominated the game with Palace scoring their goals through a series of breakaways.
First game was the previous season,  also against Palace  1 all with Allt Brown scoring on debut.

That Palace game the previous season was my first game, remember nothing of it at all.

First away game was Everton in the Cup 4th round 1974 on the Sunday.   

First defeat was the home game against Newcastle 5th round 1974, cried my eyes out.

[dangerman]

I'm not sure exactly when mine was. I know it was early-mid nineties, we played Reading and Taylor and (I think) Hunt were playing and Hunt may even have scored. Think we won 2-0. (Looking at google it it's likely to be 1994 but could have been 1995), I remember sitting in the Smethwick end.

I went to lots of other games after, but the next one I remember the most from my childhood and etched into my memory for lots of reasons, is the 5-1 defeat to Crewe. That was one interesting game, especially afterwards trying to get down Halfords Lane to the train station 

[mulliganstired]

A fairly dire 1-1 with Oldham in 1975.  My family moved around a lot basically because my Dad had itchy feet.  I'd been calling myself an Albion fan since I was a wee lad in the mid sixties when WBA were the "Cup Kings" but we eventually ended up in the W Mids, so I went along with the Albion fans at school.  Willie got our equaliser.  I can't remember if it was that game or another one at that time, but some paunchy guy trundled out in the Number 10 shirt.  It was Geoff Hurst.

[Wollastonbaggie]

Boxing day 1967. Albion beat Man City 3 - 2 in the old first division. Dad took me into Woodman Corner. Just looked....there were 45000 there! All I remember is Dad going ape whenever we scored, and how green the grass was. And how far they could kick the ball!

Me and my Dad tried to get to that game but couldn't get anywhere near the ground because of the traffic. My first game was with my Dad in 1961 or 1962. I think it was a 4th round cup match against Tottenham which we lost 4-2. I remember Derek Kevan bundling their goalie (Brown?) over the line to make it, or so the crowd thought,4-3 but it was disallowed. I think the attendance was about 55,000

[caravanc58]

October 1972 against Man utd. 2-2. Exciting and frightening for a 7 yr old but Ive never forgotten that noise generated in the ground. That's when my addiction started.

[stever60]

Boxing day 1967. Albion beat Man City 3 - 2 in the old first division. Dad took me into Woodman Corner. Just looked....there were 45000 there! All I remember is Dad going ape whenever we scored, and how green the grass was. And how far they could kick the ball!

Remember that. They used to play teams back to back over the festive season. We beat them 2-0 at Maine Road.

My first was Everton 1967. Won 1-0. Sat on the benches in the old Halfords Lane

[robnewbold]

August 1956, on my dads shoulders in the Holt End when he was desperately trying to get me to be a Vile Fan. As soon as I saw the beautiful Navy and White Stripes emerge from the tunnel I was sold.
My Mums maiden name was Halford, she was an Albion Fan and felt she  had some connections to the ground somehow. My Dad was gutted.

[Tony Goddens Gloves]

First home game v Blackpool 1974 won 2-0
First away game was v Derby 1976 drew 2-2

[GunnarGT]

First and so far only game:

2-3 loss against Newcastle 7th february 2009.

Apart from the defending that day (The Barnett/Meite-duo was certainly no O'Shea/Pieters), it was the best footballing moment in my life to witness The Hawthorns, the fans and the team. Two goals from MA Fortune.

[KYA]

1967 about this time of year against Sunderland the only thing I remember just as we were leaving with 5 minutes left was King Jeff popping up to make it 2-2  a new hero for me then and still is to this day.

[iwastherein68]

25th September 1954 (had to look that up and the attendance 48K.)
Albion 6 Leicester City 4 .
I remember the goalscorers were Ronnie Allen, Frank Griffin, Johnny Nicholls (3) and George Lee.
My dad had already told me all about our team, but the thing that sticks out in my memory, was everybody purring about the Leicester left winger Derek Hogg . In next to no-time he replaced George Lee in the Albion team.
I stood by the wall in front of the old Halfords which was the only seated area in the ground back in the day

[NJS]

Albion vs Nottingham Forest 1957-58, I was nine. 

Can't remember much that far back but I do remember we had bought Maurice Setters from Manchester Utd who had a rep as a hard bloke.  Then there was Ronnie Allen ...
The person in the seat next to us had come up from Hereford to watch us - quite a distance in those days (pre-M5) - still I think an area where we could pick up support.

Score 3-2

[GrumpyBaggie]

Against Blackpool, I think it was March 1954.
My dad was an albion fan but I was besotted my Stanley Matthews since the 1953 Cup Final.  Can't remember a thing about the game except dad telling me to pipe down when Blackpool scored!