The late 1990s were not halcyon times at The Hawthorns, the latter stages of The Great Sadness still lying like a blanket across our fortunes. We gathered our pleasures where we could as the Albion struggled to make a dent on the second tier in this brave new world where the Premier League was coming to dominate.  

August 24 1997 was such a day. Three games into a new season, we played host to Wolverhampton Wanderers, bankrolled by Sir Jack Hayward as we struggled to fund much more than a pot for relief purposes.   

Yet something was stirring at The Hawthorns, Ray Harford had taken charge midway through the previous season and was beginning to make Albion a side that was hard to beat. Indeed, we had opened by eating Tranmere 2-1 at home, then winning 3-2 at Crewe. But Wolves, tragically beaten in the previous season’s play-offs, were red hot favourites to end that run. 

Instead, after 15 minutes, Richard Sneekes played a through ball to try to pick out the run of Paul Peschisolido. Instead, Keith Curle got there first and unaware that his goalkeeper had come haring off his line, he delicately stoked the ball past him and into the Smethwick End goal. 1-0 to the Albion, four years before that became a thing, but that was enough to win the day. 

A season of promise dissolved when Harford left to take over QPR in December, the Throstles finishing 10th, just a place behind Wolves. But the largely forgettable nature of the campaign was revealed in the selection of the Player of the Season.  

Keith Curle.