Baggies Abroad: The Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion's Global Travels

By Tony Matthews

West Bromwich Albion first ventured off the British mainland in April 1893, taking the relatively short trip to Ireland to play two friendly matches, both of which were unfortunately lost! Since then the Baggies have visited more than 40 different countries, covering virtually all four points of the globe. The Albion have played everywhere from Abu Dhabi and Argentina, Bahrain, and Brazil to the UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, and the USA. They've contested European Cup Winners' Cup games, UEFA Cup ties, Anglo-Italian matches, and have participated in several pre-season tournaments. Baggies Abroad covers every one of these games—including some great tests against the world's best: Ajax, AS Roma, Benfica, Feyenoord, Inter Milan, Napoli, Real Madrid, Red Star Belgrade, Sporting Lisbon, Valencia—with a mini match report, a great selection of photographs, match tickets, and programs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Independent Publishers Group
• Release date: Aug 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781785310997

Tony Matthews

Tony Matthews is a reclusive Welsh-Australian historian and novelist who has dedicated almost his entire adult life to writing Australian and world history. He writes extensively on military and espionage history with a specific emphasis on both world wars. He is the author of more than thirty books including several historical novels.

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IRELAND

April 1893

The first ever ‘overseas’ tour made by West Bromwich Albion was to Ireland in April 1893 – just after they had ended their seasonal Football League programme with a six-match unbeaten run, comprising four wins and two draws.

They played two friendly matches on the Emerald Isle in 48 hours, losing them both.

The club’s official party, comprising three committee members, the team’s trainer, the 12 players and an official reporter (William Jephcott), departed from the town’s Spon Lane railway station to Holyhead on Sunday 23 April. Then it was across the Irish Sea by ferry to Dublin for a 7am arrival on the Monday. Three and a half hours later, following a train journey north, the Albion party arrived safe and sound, albeit somewhat tired, in Belfast.

After a sightseeing trip around the city, Albion made their way to the Linfield Athletic ground for the first game which was scheduled to kick off at 6.30pm.

With all women (young and old) given free admission, it was reported that the attendance was ‘the best ever’ for a Linfield home match, certainly in excess of 2,000. In fact, many were hoping to see three of Albion’s Irish-born players in action – left-back Bob Crone and left-half Jack Taggart, both ex-Belfast Distillery stars and winger Willie McCabe, formerly of Ulster, plus Jack ‘Baldy’ Reynolds who had also played for Distillery. But only Taggart and Reynolds travelled. McCabe was sidelined through injury while Crone had been suspended by the Irish FA for two years! Arthur Dexter, a trialist from Oldbury Town, deputised for Crone.

24 April 1893

Linfield Athletic 3 Albion 1

Albion, who began the game positively, suffered a body blow before half-time – being reduced to ten men when top goalscorer Tom Pearson hobbled off with a leg injury. After this setback, it was a case of keeping the score down to a minimum, and to a certain degree Albion did just that. But in the end the Irish team proved far too strong and scored through Pat McErlean (2) and John Peden, who would go on to play for Newton Heath (now Manchester United) and Sheffield United and win 24 caps for Ireland. Willie Groves, with a scrambled effort from Billy Bassett’s cross, replied for Albion.

The Albion team, for this historic first game ‘abroad’ was: Joe Reader; Charlie Perry, Arthur Dexter; Jack Reynolds, Tom Perry, Jack Taggart; Billy Bassett, Roddy McLeod, Willie Groves, Tom Pearson and Alf Geddes.

Albion’s second tour game at the same venue, was against an Irish League team, playing under the name of Ulsterville Rangers. Albion recruited a local-born forward, A. Keble, as a replacement for the injured Pearson. The kick-off for this game was two hours earlier, at 4.30pm, and the home team, which included seven Linfield players, six of whom had lined up against Albion 24 hours earlier, was to take on the Scottish League the following weekend. So it was to be a tough encounter for the Baggies.

25 April 1893

Ulsterville Rangers 1 Albion 0

Unfortunately Albion – unchanged except for Keble replacing Pearson at inside-left – again failed to deliver. They were sluggish and at times looked disinterested, and only some fine saves by goalkeeper Joe Reader kept them in the game. Full-backs Charlie Perry and Dexter were completely out of sorts, Jack ‘Baldy’ Reynolds was well below par and Keble was, according to the club’s official reporter Jephcott, ‘Of no service whatsoever… being perfectly useless.’ Substitute ‘Ching’ Morrison (who had played for Linfield against the Baggies 24 hours earlier) scored the only goal of the game with a close-range header in the second half. The attendance was once again estimated at 2,000.

The Ulsterville Rangers line-up was effectively a League of Ireland Select XI.

The Albion party began its return journey to the UK directly after the second game, travelling across the Irish Sea on the Princess of Wales liner to Fleetwood, arriving around 6am on the Wednesday. Five hours later the party was back in West Bromwich and then on the Thursday, Albion played rivals Wolves in an away friendly, winning 4-2.

En route to Ireland, Albion’s fiery centre-forward Henry Boyd, who was not selected for either game, had a dispute with the Black Country’s world champion spring jumper Joe Darby from Windmill End, Netherton, who was accompanying the party ahead of a public appearance at the Belfast Alhambra. It is reported that ‘blows were exchanged’ and as a result, a summons against Boyd was issued at the West Bromwich Police Court on the Monday (24 April).

After returning from Ireland, Boyd failed to turn up at court and as a result, a warrant for his arrest was subsequently issued. Albion immediately placed him on the transfer list. In fact, Boyd ‘disappeared’ but later returned to league football with Woolwich Arsenal (1894) and went on to play for Manchester United and Falkirk.

IRELAND

February 1903

21 February 1903

Belfast Distillery 5 Albion 5

Because Albion had been knocked out of the FA Cup (ousted by Tottenham Hotspur in a first-round replay) and were without a league fixture on second round weekend, the club arranged a short trip over the Irish Sea to play one of the strongest sides in Ireland – Belfast Distillery – who would go on and clinch their domestic league and cup double at the end of the 1902/03 season.

After what was described as a very ‘rough’ passage from Fleetwood to Belfast – it was the worst night at sea for 12 years – Albion buckled down to business and before a crowd of 5,000 played out a ten-goal thriller with Distillery.

In a ding-dong contest, Frank Aicken opened the scoring for Distillery when Baggies goalkeeper Ike Webb failed to clear from Davy McDougall. Soon afterwards Jimmy McLean equalised with a fine rising shot from 15 yards before George Dorsett, moving in from the left, netted a second for Albion by shooting hard and low through the legs of keeper Johnny Andrews. The same player then made it 3-1 before half-time when he diverted an effort from Billy Lee past a stranded Andrews.

With Albion in complete control, Tom Worton grabbed a fourth goal early in the second half but then the Distillery forwards suddenly clicked into gear and netted three times in the space of ten minutes through William ‘Darky’ Morton, Irish international Alfred Kearns and Aicken to bring the scores level at 4-4.

Albion, though, hit back, and regained the lead through Dorsett with just two minutes remaining, the winger scoring from close range after smart work by Lee and Worton. But with the referee ready to blow his whistle for full-time, Distillery with nine players in and around Albion’s penalty area, Milne Hamilton levelled things up at 5-5 with a fine shot through a ruck of players.

There are conflicting reports in various newspapers as to who scored Albion’s five goals. Suffice to say Dorsett certainly netted twice.

It is interesting to learn about Albion’s tempestuous outward journey to Ireland.

Some players had never travelled by ship before and certainly didn’t know what seasickness was like. After taking in a decent-sized supper of cold meat and pickles with plenty of beer to wash it down, although some were asked to take coffee instead, the players relaxed in the lounge – or tried to. The ship started to rock and roll, as the waves whipped up.

‘Will it get any worse?’ asked Jimmy McLean. ‘Yes, this is nothing,’ said a steward. And within a matter of minutes, many on board were hanging over the side of the boat as if they had lost something.

One Albion player chose to go below, looking rather pale and bilious, while another person, Harry Keys, the Albion chairman, was doubled up with stomach pains, trying to keep himself upright.

The rough journey lasted for four hours, meaning the boat arrived rather late, but after a good night’s sleep in the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast, the Albion party left for the village of Newcastle at the foot of the Mountains of Mourne. They stayed in the Sleive Donnard Hotel (famous for golfers) for one night before returning to Belfast in readiness for the friendly match against the local Distillery club on the Saturday.

Within an hour of the game ending, it was back to the port to start the journey home. Travelling initially by road, then by boat back across the Irish Sea into Fleetwood, the party took the train to Birmingham, changing at Crewe, finally arriving in the Midlands at 3pm on Sunday.

‘It was a very eventful trip,’ said one player, while another added, ‘I’m fine now I’m back on dry land.’

DENMARK & SWEDEN

May 1909

Sixteen years after playing their first football match off the British mainland, Albion went on their first major foreign tour, playing seven matches in Scandinavia, ironically three against English league clubs.

Having had a good league campaign which saw Albion finish third in the Second Division, the official party departed from Harwich seaport on Saturday 15 May 1909. It comprised 13 players, namely goalkeeper Jim Stringer, full-backs Jesse Pennington, Dick Betteley and Harry Burton, half-backs George Baddeley, George Harris, Sammy Timmins and Jack Manners and forwards Freddy Buck, Billy Davies, Billy Garraty, George Simpson and Willie Thompson.

Also on board the ship were five club officials; chairman Billy Bassett, directors Charles Couse and Dan Nurse, secretary-manager Fred Everiss and trainer Bill Barber, plus two lucky supporters.

18 May 1909

Albion 0 Newcastle United 3

Albion started the tour with a game against Newcastle United in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. A crowd of only 5,000 turned up at the B93 Stadium in freezing temperatures but those present witnessed a superb game of football. Newcastle hit the bar early on before taking the lead through Albert Shepherd on 17 minutes. Albion responded and struck the woodwork twice but early in the second half Shepherd added a second goal for the Geordies before George Wilson knocked in a