No cup glory in the new millennium
SEASON 2000-2001 PART TWO
IN the two domestic Cup competitions, Albion lost 3-2 at Derby in the 3rd round of the FA Cup and went out to the same opponents 5-4 on aggregate in round 2 of the League Cup.
Wolves were eliminated by Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 in round 4 of the FA Cup and after knocking out Oxford United and Grimsby Town, Wolves succumbed 3-2 at Fulham in the 3rd round of the League Cup.
Walsall slipped out of the League Cup in round 2 against West Ham, after beating Kidderminster Harriers, and were ousted from the FA Cup by West Ham, again, after early wins in rounds 1 and 2 over Exeter City and Barnet.
Checking around the clubs… Albion also signed midfielder Derek Mcinnes from Rangers, Jordao from Sporting Braga, Ruel Fox from Tottenham, right-back Igor Balis from Slovan Bratislava and goalkeeper Russell Hoult from Portsmouth.
Players who left the Hawthorns included Daryl Burgess to Northampton Town (after 375 appearances for the club), Matthew Carbon to Walsall and Richard Sneekes to Stockport County, while defender Paul Mardon was forced to retire through injury.
Baggies’ reserve goalkeeper Elliott Morris played in two games on the same day, 29 August, for the youth team versus Barnet in the morning and for the second XI against Manchester City in the afternoon.
Lee Hughes became the first Albion player to score successive hattricks (v. Gillingham and Preston) since Jeff Astle in 1968, and Hughes’s penalty-winner against Wolves in October (1-0) was the first spot-kick to win Albion the Derby since Tony Brown did the trick in 1977.
Wolves sold Ade Akinbiyi to Leicester City for a club record £5 million in July 2000.
Dave Jones was appointed Wolves’ manager in January 2001, succeeding Colin Lee.
Kevin Muscat and three youngsters, Joleon Lescott, Keith Andrews and Lee Naylor were the star performers in a moderate Wolves team.
Meanwhile Walsall had 14 different players figure on the team’s League scoring list.