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Baggies and Wolves fans relish derby day clashes

Vikki BallardWest Midlands
News imageDavid Rogers/Getty Images Kevin Phillips of West Bromwich Albion celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Coca Cola Championship play-off semi final first leg match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion at Molineux on May 13, 2007 in Wolverhampton, England. He is wearing a white and navy striped West Brom shirt and players in orange and black Wolves shirts are trying to stop him from scoring. Wolves keeper, wearing red, is on the floor after failing to save the goal. David Rogers/Getty Images
Kevin Phillips celebrated after scoring the opening goal for West Bromwich Albion during the Coca Cola Championship play-off semi final first leg match between Wolves and West Brom in May 2007

Long-awaited Black Country derby days are back after Wolverhampton Wanderers' relegation from the Premier League.

Fixture dates for next season have been released, with Wolves set to face West Bromwich Albion in the Championship for the first time in 19 years, on 19 September at Molineux Stadium.

The reverse fixture will be played at The Hawthorns, on 20 February. It is five years since the teams faced each other, while they were both in the Premier League - but in front of no fans because of the pandemic.

Ex-Albion striker Bob Taylor, told BBC Radio WM: "We've got all this hype, it's going to be absolutely brilliant. We've got the Black Country derby back."

News imageAidan Smith Two men are standing beside a football pitch, one has his arm around the other. The man on the left is wearing a black puffa jacket and a beenie hat with a West Bromwich Albion logo on, the man on the right is smiling and has a long sleeved West Bromwich Albion top on. Aidan Smith
West Bromwich Albion fan Aidan Smith (right) says Baggies fans are hopeful for the new season

Fans of both clubs are excited about the upcoming clashes.

Aidan Smith, a Baggies supporter, said: "Having not played Wolves for so long - and the last fixture we played didn't go our way - this is our year.

"We're going to beat them both times. I'd love to see a 5-1 at the Molineux again. Come on you Baggies."

On the opposite side of the Black Country Wolves fan Dazzling Dave, said the fans were looking forward to the return of the fixtures.

"We've missed the Black Country derby days. We last played them in the League in 2021, but that was without fans, so to have these two games to look forward to is great", he added.

"It will be very competitive, very raucous, but it will hopefully be played in the right way on and off the pitch."

News imageDazzling Dave/Always Wolves Fan TV A man with short brown hair smiles at the camera and puts his thumb up. He is wearing a Wolverhampton Wanderers shirt. The background is of a football crowd. There is also a Wolves badge super imposed on the photo.Dazzling Dave/Always Wolves Fan TV
Dazzling Dave from Always Wolves Fan TV says fans have missed the derby days

Wolves appointed new boss, Cesar Peixoto, from Portuguese club, Gil Vicente on a two-year deal after sacking Rob Edwards earlier this month.

He takes charge of a team who will play in the Championship for the first time since 2018, after they finished bottom of the Premier League last season.

Baggies have confirmed Matt Gill will be staying as assistant head coach to boss James Morrison.

There are further additions to the team with Celtic first-team coach Gavin Strachan and former Middlesbrough defender Tony McMahon being added to the coaching staff.

Birmingham City and Walsall will also find out their fixtures in the Championship and League Two respectively, on Thursday. The draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup will also be made on the same day.

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