Club News

Baggies legends to receive caps

Albion will honour club legends Derek Kevan and Stuart Williams at Saturday's home encounter against Middlesbrough.

The families of the two Baggies legends of the 1950s and 1960s will be with us at The Hawthorns to receive Albion caps at half-time on behalf of their late fathers.

Derek remains one of Albion’s most prolific goalscorers with 173 goals in 291 games for the Throstles.

He joined us from Bradford Park Avenue in July 1953, signed by Vic Buckingham, who had been his boss up in Yorkshire.

His nickname, 'The Tank' tells you all you need to know about his rumbustious playing style, rampaging through the middle. As Derek himself used to say, “If defenders got in my way, they had to be taken out of the way. No niceties!”

During his Albion career, Derek also won 14 England caps, scoring eight goals, including two at the 1958 World Cup, where he became the first Albion man to score at the finals.

Derek’s cap, number 416, is being presented to his son Mark.

Another Albion man at the 1958 World Cup was Welsh international Williams, Wales progressing to the last eight where they were beaten by Brazil, the only goal of the game scored by a youngster called Pele.

Stuart was a versatile defender at The Hawthorns, playing at full-back on either side of the pitch.

He joined Albion as an amateur in November 1950, turning professional in February the following year. In a Baggies playing career that continued until a move to Southampton in September 1962, Stuart amassed 246 appearances, scoring nine goals.

He was Albion’s reserve at the 1954 FA Cup final, the right-back slot eventually going to the experienced Joe Kennedy following injury to Stan Rickaby, but he had his day of Wembley glory in 1968, by which time he was on the Albion coaching staff as we defeated Everton 1-0.

Stuart also amassed 33 caps for Wales during his time at The Hawthorns, an Albion international record that stood until it was surpassed by Zoltan Gera in 2012.

Stuart’s son Neil will be receiving cap number 399.