Ahead of Saido Berahino’s return to the Hawthorns, we remember some of the players who came back to haunt ex-West Bromwich Albion in recent years.
West Bromwich Albion fans will be dreading the thought of Saido Berahino making a goalscoring return to the Hawthorns this weekend, but it wouldn’t be the first time an ex-Baggies has come back to haunt the club. Let’s take a look back at some of the others:
Cup heartbreakers
In 2008, West Bromwich Albion arrived at Wembley with high hopes of reaching their first FA Cup final since 1968. Only big-spending Premier League side Portsmouth stood in their way, who started with ex-Albion striker Nwankwo Kanu and former Aston Villa striker Milan Baros upfront.
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West Brom looked the better of the two sides until the Pompey front pair combined to break Baggies’ hearts in the 54th minute. Referee Howard Webb failed to spot Baros’ handball in the build-up, allowing Kanu to tap home the decisive opener for Harry Redknapp’s side. In that moment, those happy memories of Kanu celebrating with a West Brom ball boy lost some of their lustre.
More recently, Paul McShane was the man to deliver a hammer blow to Albion’s hopes of FA Cup glory. The ex-Manchester United defender, who spent the 2006/7 season at the Hawthorns, scored the equaliser for Reading in the 2016 fifth-round tie. The Royals would go onto to win the game 3-1 and complete a miserable day for West Brom.
Villa villains
Another former player to end West Brom’s cup dreams was Scott Sinclair. To make matters worse, the winger, considered a flop during his season-long loan at the Hawthorns, happened to be playing for West Midlands rivals Aston Villa. Sinclair’s late goal in the 2015 FA Cup sixth-round tie doubled Villa’s lead to secure local bragging rights and a trip to Wembley for Tim Sherwood’s side.
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Curtis Davies still gets a hostile reception at West Brom after he forced through move to Aston Villa in 2007. His villain-status among Albion fans was only solidified when he scored in Villa’s 2-1 win over the Baggies in 2009. The centre-back rose above keeper Scott Carson to convert Gareth Barry’s cross and give the away supporters another reason to boo him.
The revenge of the flops
It is always infuriating when a former player, the type that couldn’t hit a barn door when he played for your side, suddenly finds his shooting boots when he returns with another club. That was the case with Craig Beattie and Luke Moore. The duo only mustered nine goals between them in their spells at the Baggies, but both men had scoring returns to the Hawthorns – and both while playing for Swansea City.
Beattie fired a second-half winner for the Swans to shock table-topping Albion in the early stages of the 2009/10 Championship season. Luckily, Moore’s scoring return in 2013 was less painful for the home supporters, as the Baggies bounced back from his opener to win 2-1 and move up to 7th in the Premier League table.
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There should also be a mention for Jay Simpson. After spending six months on-loan with West Brom – only scoring once in thirteen appearances – Simpson would find the net for Queens Park Rangers when they overcame the Baggies at Loftus Road the following season.
Long time no see
The decision to sell the Shane Long to relegation rivals Hull City midway through the 2013/4 season was baffling to many around the Hawthorns. Long would drive home the absurdity just two months later, when he won a penalty and then scored to ensure a 2-0 win for the Tigers over the Baggies.
The Republic of Ireland was at it again this December when he scored for Southampton, but this time he was on the losing side.
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