West Brom and Sunderland meet at the Stadium of Light this weekend.
West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland meet at the Stadium of Light this weekend.
The two clubs have shared numerous players over the years, including current trio Jonny Evans, James McClean and Billy Jones.
Here is a selection of recent players that you may have forgotten played for both clubs.
Goalkeeper – Marton Fulop
Fulop joined Sunderland from Tottenham in 2007 and went on to make 44 appearances for the club in a three-year spell. The Hungarian stopper only made one appearance in his season with Roy Hodgson’s West Brom side after leaving Wearside. Fulop tragically passed away aged 32 after a battle with cancer.
Defenders – Bernt Haas, Stanislav Varga, Paul McShane, Kieran Richardson
Haas takes the right-back spot. The Swiss defender only made 27 appearances for Sunderland before moving to West Brom in 2003, where he was part of the Baggies’ 2003-04 promotion winning team. He also memorably scored an superb scissor kick against Manchester United in the League Cup.
On the other side, Kieran Richardson starts at left-back. The versatile Manchester United youngster joined West Brom on loan and helped the Baggies in their remarkable escape under Bryan Robson, scoring on the final day of the season. He then had a five-year spell at Sunderland and made 134 appearances for the club.
Stanislav Varga and Paul McShane are partnered together in the centre of defence. Varga joined Sunderland from Slovan Bratislava in 2000 and the Slovakian defender had an outstanding debut in the Black Cat’s 1-0 opening day victory over Arsenal. He then played four games for the Albion at the back end of the 2001-02 season.
Meanwhile, McShane enjoyed a good season with West Brom in 2006-07 but failure to win promotion meant he moved to Premier League Sunderland. The Republic of Ireland defender had a mixed spell at the Stadium of Light and was sold to Hull City in 2009.
Midfielders – Stephane Sessegnon, Darren Carter, Craig Gardner, Kevin Kilbane
Sessegnon and Kilbane take their places on the wings. Sessegnon moved to English football with Sunderland in January of 2011 and showed glimpses of his quality, unforgettably scoring the opening goal when Paolo Di Canio’s team beat rivals Newcastle United 3-0 at St. James’ Park. However, he was largely inconsistent and had a similarly frustrating time at West Brom before being released this summer.
Kilbane became West Brom’s first £1 million man when he joined from Preston North End In 1997. After 106 appearances for the Baggies, he moved to Sunderland where he had a difficult time. Following the club’s relegation, his relationship with the fans became strained and left to reunite with ex-Preston boss David Moyes at Everton.
Carter and Gardner are the central midfield duo. Carter played 10 times for Sunderland during his loan spell in 2004 and scored on his debut against Preston. The former Birmingham City midfielder struggled during his time at West Brom but he will be remembered for his wonder-strike against Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Gardner will likely be on the bench for this weekend’s meeting between the two sides. He spent four years with Sunderland before moving to the Hawthorns on a free transfer.
Strikers – Kevin Phillips and Danny Dichio
This team is rounded off by the unlikely striking duo of Kevin Phillips and Danny Dichio. Phillips had tremendous spells with both clubs and the 1999-2000 golden boot-winner is in a class of his own in this XI. Dichio signed for West Brom in 2001 after scoring 17 goals in 76 appearances for Sunderland. He was paired upfront with Scott Dobbie as West Brom were relegated from the Premiership in 2002-03.
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