Old Baggies

UP FOR THE CUP  -  CARDIFF CITY  - ‘WE’VE MET BEFORE’

Bobby Newsome

Albion will entertain the ‘Bluebirds’ of Cardiff City, in the 3rd round of the F.A.Cup at the Hawthorns on Saturday 7th January 2012, and it certainly has been a long time coming, since the last occasion these two sides met in this famous old competition.

The ‘Baggies’ have met Cardiff twice before in the history of the cup, and strangely enough both at the third round stage of the competition, so, an oddity in itself, with this third such meeting  The last occasion the two clubs faced each other in the competition, was way back in January 1950, when on exactly the same date …Saturday 7th January…Albion went to Ninian Park, Cardiff, and earned a replay with a 2-2 draw.

Goals from Cyril Williams and Gordon Inwood, took the tie back to the Hawthorns, but unfortunately the ‘Baggies’ were unable to capitalise on home advantage, and City went into the hat for the fourth round, after a 1-0 victory. An amazing 37, 358 mid-week attendance witnessed the replay, after a just as astonishing 40,000 specatators at Ninian Park.

Cyril Williams

Previous to that, Albion drew the Bluebirds in the third round on the resumption of the competition in January 1946, following the war. In a ‘two-legged’ third round, Albion travelled to Ninian Park, where Eddie Connolly earned the ‘Baggies’ a 1-1 draw. The second leg was a formality, when two goals a piece from Ike Clarke and Bob Newsome gave the Albion a comfortable 4-0 victory, and an overall 5-1 aggregate win. Unfortunately Albion went out in the next round, beaten by Derby County, the eventual winners of the competition.

Laurie Rampling/December 2012





Cardiff 7th January 1950 - Reg Ryan and Jack Vernon combine to repel a City attack



Eddie Connolly



Gordon Inwood



Ike Clarke