LOOK FORWARD - LOOK BACK-WEST BROMWICH ALBION

LOOK FORWARD - LOOK BACK

WEST BROMWICH ALBION - 1^st NOVEMBER 2014

　

LOOK BACK - And once again another disappointing result this time at home to Burnley, only managing a 2-2 draw in a game we really expected to win. Is it post traumatic Manchester United disorder or are our expectation levels really to high. Following excellent results at home so far, we were expecting to see off a Burnley side that were missing strikers Vokes and Ings and in their previous game leaked four goals against West Bromwich Albion. Following the international break we ventured on a trip to an out of sorts Newcastle United and I bet they wasn’t expecting us to be more out of sorts than them, and we fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat. Even worse was to follow at Swansea last Saturday and all of a sudden it seems that the foxes have forgotten that they are supposed to never quit! A 2-0 defeat and now we need a win against West Bromwich Albion to get back on track

LOOK FORWARD - Boing Boing and West Bromwich Albion are next up at The King Power Stadium. Albion have also had mixed results so far this season but they appear to be finding some form with an away win at Spurs an unlucky 2-1 defeat at Liverpool and good home results against Burnley and Manchester United. ( United again! )

Albion have some entertaining players in their ranks and one player that is receiving some good reviews is Saido Beharino who has so far scored six times in the premier league ( before their trip to Crystal Palace ) and is a player I am looking forward to seeing at The King Power Stadium. I just hope that Morgan and Moore can keep him in check. Albion have two competent goalkeepers in Ben Foster and Boaz Myhill ( I don’t think they will both be playing though! ) and with Jonas Olsson, Chris Baird and Joleon Lescott forming part of their defence it is not going to be easy to score goals past them! Craig Gardner and Chris Brunt will be hoping to supply the ammunition for Beharino, Anichebe and co!

LOOK BACK - I have seen many encounters against West Bromwich Albion over the years and Albion are a team I used to like watching in the days of Bobby Hope, Clive Clarke, Tony Brown and Jeff Astle. One of Jeff Astle’s daughters lives just down the road from me here in Measham so bragging rights will be at stake on this game.

Going back to the 1969/70 season we drew West Bromwich Albion in the league cup 5^th round at Filbert Street and the tie attracted a crowd of 35,121 of which I was one, I sat in the double decker stand that evening and I witnessed a superb game of football that saw memorable displays from Peter Shilton and Graham Cross against a star studded Albion team. And despite the game finishing 0-0 it was a game I remember vividly with both teams playing good attacking football.

The replay was played at The Hawthorns on Wednesday November 5^th 1969 and once again I was there to see City put on another superb display against Albion but unfortunately we lost 2-1 with Astle scoring twice for Albion and Cross scoring for City, it was another entertaining game that saw us go close especially from one attack where both Sjoberg and Cross managed to hit the bar in the same attack. It was revenge for the Albion after City beat them only a few months earlier at Sheffield in the FA Cup semi final.

I was back at the Hawthorns on October 23^rd 1971 to see City who had got back into division 1 record a fine 1-0 win and a superb goal from Keith Weller who was now part of the changing set up at Leicester that would see Jimmy Bloomfield bring us some of the most exiting football to be seen at Filbert Street.

One more game I have to mention was again played at The Hawthorns in 1995 and although I was in West Bromwich on November 5 ^th I wasn’t at the game. I was with my future wife Theresa ( now my wife!) visiting her sister and her husband, at the time. they are mad Albion fans and missed the game to entertain myself and Theresa for dinner. The game was live on TV though and a television was duly set up in the kitchen so we could watch the game over dinner. I was wearing a favourite white shirt of mine that day and I was in my element as Iwan Roberts scored another goal for City in a 3-2 win, when Steven, the beleaguered Albion fan offered me another beer! I couldn’t refuse, but when I opened the can beer sprayed all over my best white shirt and I was drowned in lager !. The can had been deliberately shaken, obviously he was a bad loser!. I had the last laugh though as we won promotion that season beating Crystal Palace 1-0 at Wembley.

Theresa’s family are avid Albion supporters so it is another reason why I am desperately hoping we can turn them over at The King Power Stadium next Saturday.

Shout loud for the Foxes

Alan’meashamfox’Bennett

Leicester Till I die