Black Country derby returns to Molineux this Sunday with Peixoto facing his first and Morrison recalling five appearances
Wolverhampton Wanderers will host West Bromwich Albion in the Black Country derby at Molineux this Sunday, a league fixture returning for the first time in more than five years and the first with fans at the ground since 2012; Wolves boss Cesar Peixoto faces his first derby while Albion's James Morrison has played in five. The meeting is being framed as a significant regional occasion with both clubs preparing amid lingering memories of past encounters.
The fixture dates back to the earliest days of organised football: it was first contested as a league game in December 1888 when Wolves won 2-1, although Albion had already beaten them in the FA Cup in 1886 and 1887. The derby has accumulated decades of notable moments that fans revisit, especially since the growth of televised football put many clashes on permanent view. Supporters regard the fixture as the one to watch when the sides share a division, and pre-match banter often revolves around highlights from the last 40 years.
Several individual performances have entered derby folklore: Steve Bull's first derby goal in 1989, Iwan Roberts' Hawthorns hat-trick in 1996, George Ndah's double in 2001 built on an inspired Keith Andrews display, and Steven Fletcher's two goals in May 2011 which helped keep Mick McCarthy's side in the Premier League. Those moments remain reference points for fans on both sides when discussing the fixture's recent history.
West Brom have their own landmark events in the rivalry, including Darren Bradley's 35-yard screamer in 1993, Bob Taylor's late clincher at the Hawthorns in 1995, Jordao's Molineux matchwinner in December 2001 in the season when Albion pipped Wolves for promotion by three points, and Carlos Vela's injury-time equaliser in Roy Hodgson's first game in charge in 2011. The rivalry reached a low point in February 2012 when Wolves lost 1-5 at Molineux, Peter Odemwingie scored a hat-trick, Keith Andrews added a goal against his former club, Wolves were ripped apart and boss McCarthy lost his job the next day; Albion striker Peter Odemwingie ended up taking the match ball home.
Wolves and Albion have spent eight and seven seasons respectively in the top flight since that period, but only once together, in the post-Covid 2020-21 season when both derbies were played behind closed doors; a masked Steve Bull was one of only a select few allowed in for the January 2021 league meeting and Albion took four points out of a possible six that season yet still got relegated. Across the entire 138-year history of the fixture it is very close — 55 Albion league wins to Wolves' 52 — and since the start of the new Millennium there have been 18 league and cup derbies, with Albion winning 10 and Wolves four.
The most recent meeting before this weekend was a 2-0 Wolves victory in the FA Cup fourth round at The Hawthorns in January 2024, a match that was marred by a 38-minute stoppage after police were assaulted, missiles were thrown and flares were set off, prompting the two clubs to issue a joint statement calling for the rivalry to remain friendly. Albion boss James Morrison has supplemented normal training with sessions led by one of the Baggies' club historians to brief his players on the fixture's history, while Morrison himself said of the possibility Raul Jimenez might play: "I'll believe it when I see it." Peixoto had earlier ruled out the Mexican "with a knee injury" and "has since assured the Albion camp that the injury is for real."
Peixoto, preparing his squad for their first taste of the derby as Wolves manager, told BBC Radio WM: "I don't play mind games." He also gave his players a direct message ahead of the fixture: "Play with passion but also with your head," adding, "I'm very competitive. I don't like to lose." Albion's Morrison, who played in five Black Country derbies including the 5-1 win, said: "These are the games you want to be involved in," and added, "The outcome can be a real positive for the players and myself. You can cement a special place with performances in these games."
Wolves arrive at the fixture three points adrift of Albion in the early Championship table and with a game in hand; their recent derby experience this season includes a 2-2 draw with Birmingham City a fortnight ago in which they conceded after a comical own goal from a mix-up involving Jose Sa and Jackson Tchatchoua. This Sunday's meeting is the first opportunity for a 'gold and black' Molineux crowd to see their team attempt to avenge the 1-5 defeat of February 2012 and represents the first league derby at Molineux with supporters present since that time.