Bad times in the cup for all three of our clubs
And a sad goodbye to the Doog
Season 2006-7 Part Two
The Baggies’ best win was a 7-0 thrashing of Barnsley on the last day of the season
ALBION’S full record for 2006-07 was played 46, won 22, drew 10 and lost 14, with a goal count of 81 for and 55 against.
Their best win was 7-0 at home to Barnsley on the last day of the regular League campaign, while earlier Coventry City had been beaten 5-0 and Ipswich Town 5-1. In fact Kevin Phillips scored hattricks in the wins over Ipswich and Barnsley.
The Baggies’ heaviest defeat was 3-1 – away at Sheffield Wednesday and at home to Stoke City. Diomasy Kamara top-scored with 20 goals, followed by Phillips with 16 and Nathan Ellington on 10. Wolves, with manager Mick Mccarthy at the helm (appointed on 21st July to replace Glenn Hoddle) had exactly the same playing record as Albion: 46-22-10-14, but finished a place lower in the table due to a disappointing total of goals scored, 59, while 56 were conceded. Wolves’ best win of the campaign was 4-1 at Leicester in their last game while their heaviest defeat was a 6-0 thrashing at home to Southampton in late March. And the team also lost 4-0 at Cardiff in late September. No-one got into double figures in terms of scoring goals, Jay Bothroyd topping the list with nine. In the FA Cup competition, Walsall went out in the first round, ousted by Macclesfield Town; Albion knocked out Leeds United and Wolves before succumbing to Middlesbrough in a 5th round replay, while Wolves took out Oldham before losing to the Baggies.
In the League Cup, Walsall crashed out in the second round, beaten by Bolton Wanderers; Albion were horrible to behold when losing to Leyton Orient in round one, while Wolves also departed early doors, defeated 6-5 on penalties by Chesterfield in round one.
Walsall took part in the Johnstone Paints Trophy but they didn’t last too long – beaten by Swansea City in the first round.
Checking through the clubs individully … Walsall’s lowest position in the League all season was fifth, while they held top spot for almost half of the campaign and eventually won the championship on the very last day thanks to a 1-1 draw with runners-up Swindon Town.
Albion’s news signings in 2006-07 included goalkeepers Pascal Zuberbuhler and Dean Kiely, defenders Sam Sodje and Paul Mcshane, Chris Perry, Kevin Phillips (from Aston Villa), John Hartson and the returning Jason Koumas.
Out of the club went Kevin Campbell, Geoff Horsfield, Russell Hoult, Junichi Inamoto, Darren Moore, Nigel Quashie and Tomasz Kuszczak.
Seven Albion players were redcarded this season, among them Paul Robinson, Neil Clement (twice), Darren Carter, Kamara and Curtis Davies.
And Albion’s Play-off semi-final home leg versus Wolves realised club record gate receipts of £560,100.
Wolves Chairman Sir Jack Hayward sold the club to businessman and one-time Liverpool fanatic Steve Morgan for just £10 (with a written clause in the contract of a £30m investment) and soon after the end of the season (in June) former player Derek Dougan sadly died at the age of 69.