# 1886–87 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season

The 1886–87 season was the ninth season in the history of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. The club reached the FA Cup final for the second successive season, but again finished as runners-up, losing 0–2 to local rivals Aston Villa. Albion also reached the final of two regional cup competitions, winning the Staffordshire Senior Cup and finishing as runners-up in the Birmingham Senior Cup. In addition, they took part in the Walsall Senior Cup and Birmingham Charity Cup, as well as playing a number of friendly matches.

## FA Cup

West Bromwich Albion began their fourth FA Cup season with a 6–0 first round victory against Burton Wanderers, in what was their only home match of the tournament. They followed this up with a 2–1 win away at Derby Junction. Albion's second goal in the match was credited to their goalkeeper Bob Roberts, after his long kick downfield ended up in Derby's goal following a goalmouth scrum. Albion then received a bye to the fourth round, where Tommy Green scored the only game of the game against Mitchell St. George's at Aston Lower Grounds. In round five, a goal from George Woodhall gave Albion a victory over Lockwood Brothers, but a dispute over the goal led to the tie being replayed. Tommy Green scored in the replay, putting Albion into the quarter-finals for the third season in succession. Notts County provided the opposition and two goals from Jem Bayliss contributed to a 4–1 victory for West Bromwich Albion.
In the semi-final, Albion took on Preston North End at Trent Bridge. Preston took the lead, but two goals from Tom Pearson and one from Bill Paddock saw Albion reach the final for the second year running. In the final, the team faced local rivals Aston Villa at the Kennington Oval, to determine which side would be the first from the Midlands to win the FA Cup. Villa's goalkeeper Jimmy Warner made a number of saves in a goalless first 45 minutes, and it was they who took the lead in the second half when Dennis Hodgetts scored. Bob Roberts, Albion's goalkeeper, made no attempt to save the shot, wrongly assuming that Hodgetts was offside. Villa captain Archie Hunter added a second goal for Villa near the end as Albion again finished as runners-up.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| 1 | 30 October 1886 | Burton Wanderers | H | 6–0 | T. Green 2, Bayliss 2, Holden, Paddock | 5,107 |
| 2 | 20 November 1886 | Derby Junction | A | 2–1 | G. Bell, Roberts | 2,100 |
| 3 | Albion received a bye to the fourth round | Albion received a bye to the fourth round | Albion received a bye to the fourth round | Albion received a bye to the fourth round | Albion received a bye to the fourth round | Albion received a bye to the fourth round |
| 4 | 15 January 1887 | Mitchell St. George's | N | 1–0 | T. Green | 4,061 |
| 5 | 29 January 1887 | Lockwood Brothers | A | 1–0 | Woodhall | 6,029 |
| 5(R) | 12 February 1887 | Lockwood Brothers | A | 1–0 | T. Green, Paddock | 2,120 |
| 6 | 19 February 1887 | Notts County | A | 4–1 | Bayliss 2, T. Green, Woodhall | 15,067 |
| SF | 5 March 1887 | Preston North End | N | 3–1 | Pearson 2, Paddock | 16,068 |
| F | 2 April 1887 | Aston Villa | N | 0–2 | — | 15,534 |
Source for match details:

## Birmingham Senior Cup

Albion, taking part in the Birmingham Senior Cup for the sixth time, beat Aston Villa in the first round by a Tommy Green goal. The match was played in front of 12,000 spectators, the club's largest home attendance of the season and their largest all-time home attendance in the Birmingham Senior Cup. Albion were also drawn at home in the next three rounds and continued to keep clean sheets, defeating Mitchell St George's 3–0, Derby County 6–0 and Stoke 3–0. The semi-final was held at Stoke's Victoria Ground, where Burslem Port Vale provided the opposition. A Jem Bayliss hat-trick contributed to a 5–1 victory as Albion reached the final for the second season running. They were unable to retain the trophy however, as they lost by a single goal to Long Eaton Rangers at Wellington Road.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| 1 | 9 October 1886 | Aston Villa | H | 1–0 | T. Green | 12,000 |
| 2 | 13 November 1886 | Mitchell St George's | H | 3–0 | T. Green, Woodhall 2 | 3,000 |
| 3 | 11 December 1886 | Derby County | H | 6–0 | Paddock 2, T. Green 2, Bayliss, Woodhall | 8,000 |
| 4 | 19 March 1887 | Stoke | H | 3–0 | Pearson 2, Bayliss | 5,100 |
| SF | 30 April 1887 | Burslem Port Vale | N | 5–1 | Bayliss 3, Woodhall 2 | 4,000 |
| F | 7 May 1887 | Long Eaton Rangers | N | 0–1 | — | 5,000 |
Source for match details:

## Staffordshire Senior Cup

Participating in their fifth Staffordshire Senior Cup campaign, Albion beat Hednesford Town 8–0 in the first round; Bayliss led the scoring with four goals. Albion were also given home ties in the next two rounds, defeating Stafford Rangers 5–1 and Leek 3–0. The semi-final took place in Burslem; Albion won 3–0 with two goals from Jem Bayliss and one from George Timmins. In the final, at Stoke's Victoria Ground, Albion beat Walsall Swifts 4–0. Two goals from Bayliss and one each from Woodhall and Paddock meant that Albion retained the trophy, winning the competition for the third time in all.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| 1 | 4 October 1886 | Hednesford Town | H | 8–0 | Bayliss 4, G. Bell 2, T. Green 2 | 3,000 |
| 2 | 6 November 1886 | Stafford Rangers | H | 5–1 | G. Bell, Timmins, Bayliss 2, Woodhall | 2,500 |
| 3 | 26 February 1887 | Leek | H | 3–0 | Bayliss 2, Woodhall | 3,500 |
| SF | 21 March 1887 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | N | 3–0 | Bayliss 2, Timmins | 4,000 |
| F | 9 April 1887 | Walsall Swifts | N | 4–0 | Bayliss 2, Woodhall, Paddock | 4,000 |
Source for match details:

## Birmingham Charity Cup

Entering the Birmingham Charity Cup for the third time, Albion drew 3–3 with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the semi-final. The replay finished goalless after extra time, meaning that a second replay was required. Wolves won the second replay, 3–1.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| SF | 18 April 1887 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 3–3 | Pearson, Woodhall, T. Green | 8,000 |
| SF(R) | 20 April 1887 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–0 | — | 6,000 |
| SF(2R) | 25 April 1887 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–3 | Paddock | 7,200 |
Source for match details:

## Walsall Senior Cup

Unusually for a competition in which they usually entered a reserve team, West Bromwich Albion put out their first team for the Walsall Senior Cup round one match against Crosswells Brewery. Albion won the match 5–2, against a brewery side that included seven former Albion players in their team. West Bromwich Albion's reserve team completed the remainder of the club's fixtures in the competition, losing to Walsall Town in an unspecified later round.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| 1 | 16 October 1886 | Crosswells Brewery | H | 5–2 | Holden, Pearson, Horton 2, Moore (o.g.) | 2,500 |
Source for match details:

## Friendlies and benefit matches

With league football yet to be established, West Bromwich Albion played in a number of friendly matches throughout the season.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| 19 July 1886 | Aston Villa | A | 5–1 |
| 24 July 1886 | Aston Villa | A | 3–6 |
| 26 July 1886 | Wednesbury Old Athletic | H | 6–0 |
| 4 September 1886 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 2–0 |
| 11 September 1886 | Stoke | A | 4–0 |
| 18 September 1886 | Third Lanark Rifle Volunteers | A | 2–1 |
| 20 September 1886 | Hibernian | A | 1–1 |
| 25 September 1886 | Northwich Victoria | H | 2–1 |
| 27 September 1886 | Birmingham & District XI | H | 0–0 |
| 2 October 1886 | Derby Midland | H | 3–1 |
| 23 October 1886 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–1 |
| 1 November 1886 | Oxford University | H | 6–1 |
| 27 November 1886 | Old Carthusians | H | 5–1 |
| 4 December 1886 | Preston North End | A | 0–7 |
| 18 December 1886 | Aston Villa | A | 1–1 |
| 27 December 1886 | Preston North End | H | 5–1 |
| 28 December 1886 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–2 |
| 22 January 1887 | Notts County | A | 1–3 |
| 5 February 1887 | Aston Unity | H | 5–0 |
| 7 February 1887 | Oxford University | A | 3–2 |
| 12 March 1887 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0–0 |
| 26 March 1887 | Birmingham Excelsior | H | 3–0 |
| 11 April 1887 | Third Lanark Rifle Volunteers | H | 3–1 |
| 16 April 1887 | Darwen | H | 4–0 |
| 14 May 1887 | Aston Villa | H | 3–1 |
| 16 May 1887 | Great Bridge Unity | A | 0–0 |
| 21 May 1887 | Stoke | H | 1–0 |
| 28 May 1887 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–0 |
| 30 May 1887 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 3–0 |
| 4 June 1887 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–1 |
| 18 June 1887 | South Shore | A | 3–2 |
| 20 June 1887 | Fleetwood Rangers | A | 3–1 |
Source for match details: