After his man of the match performance against Tottenham, we ask whether Ben Foster is West Bromwich Albion’s best goalkeeper of all time.
West Bromwich Albion have had an array of excellent goalkeepers through their history, as well as, their fair share of not so great keepers (I’m looking at you Pascal Zuberbuhler). Ben Foster’s remarkable string of saves against Tottenham was a reminder of his importance to this Albion side. It was a performance that will go down as one of his best games in an Baggies shirt – alongside Sunderland away in 2015 and Liverpool away in 2013.
Apart from two long spells out with injury, Foster has been West Brom’s first choice keeper since his arrival in 2011. He has been part of a very successful West Brom defence, particularly under the watch of Roy Hodgson and Tony Pulis, and has played an integral role in Albion’s consolidation as a Premier League side. Foster’s club form saw him claim a place in Hodgson’s 2014 England World Cup squad; although injuries have prevented him from making the squad recently.
However, Foster has strong competition for the claim of West Brom’s best all-time goalkeeper. Bob Roberts was the keeper as the Throstles won the 1888 FA Cup. He was also the club’s first player to represent the England national side.
Harold Pearson has similar achievements to Roberts, winning the FA Cup in 1931 and starting for England in their 3-0 win over Scotland in 1932. His dad, Hubert Pearson, can stake a claim with an Albion career spanning 18 years. Pearson played in West Brom’s 1912 FA Cup final defeat to Barnsley and made the England squad, but injury prevented him from getting a cap.
The quality of Albion keepers didn’t drop in the second half of the 20th Century, with Jimmy Sanders’ helping West Brom to an FA Cup win in 1954. The London-born stopper made close to 400 appearances in his time at the club.
Foster’s greatest competition might come from John Osborne. The much-loved keeper joined from Chesterfield in January of 1967 and helped Albion to an FA Cup win a year later. His incredible athleticism and shot stopping – combined with a magnetic personality – meant the ‘bionic’ goalkeeper will be many West Brom fans’ pick.
Tony Godden and Alan Miller are certainly worthy of a mention in this illustrious list. Godden helped fill the void left by Osborne and was a key member of the 1978-9 Ron Atkinson team that finished 3rd in the First Division. Miller did a terrific job for the Baggies during a tough period between 1997 and 2000.
Russell Hoult’s achievements in Gary Megson’s promotion winning side means he is a serious contender for Albion’s all-time best. His record 27 clean sheets (24 in the league) in the 2001-2 season helped cement his place as a modern day West Brom legend.
It is tough to measure up Foster against the accolades of Osborne, Roberts, Sanders and co. But there is definitely a worthy case for Foster to be the best Albion keeper of this century, so far. If he could add some silverware to his achievements at West Brom he would certainly go down as an all-time great.
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