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West Bromwich Albion FC was founded by workers from the George Salter Spring Works in 1878.

West Bromwich Strollers

The club was originally called West Bromwich Strollers before changing to the current form in 1881.

In 1883 they entered the FA Cup for the first time, and they were beaten finalists in 1886 and 1887, before defeating Preston North End in 1888 to lift the cup for the first time.

Founder Member of the Football League

That same year West Brom were invited to become one of the twelve founder members of the Football League.

In 1892 Albion beat local rivals Aston Villa in the FA Cup final but three years later Villa gained revenge, winning 1-0.

Move to The Hawthorns

West Bromwich Albion FC moved to the Hawthorns in 1900 but the season was a disaster and ended in relegation to Division Two.

They returned the following season, but were relegated again in 1904, and this time spent seven seasons at the lower level.

In 1912 they reached their sixth FA Cup final, but lost to Barnsley in a replay.

League Champions

In 1920, Albion won the League Championship for the first and, so far, only time in their history.

They were relegated in 1927 but in 1931 they won promotion and beat near neighbours Birmingham City 2-1 in the FA Cup final.

Four years later they again reached the final but this time lost 4-2 to Sheffield Wednesday.

In 1938 Albion were relegated again and had to wait until 1949 before they returned to the First Division.

Close to the Double

Albion came close to the double in 1953-54, beating Preston North End in the FA Cup Final, but narrowly losing the league title to Wolves.

Three Wembley Finals

They won the League Cup for the first time in 1966, beating West Ham over two legs in the final. The following season they reached the final again but lost 3-2 to Third Division Queens Park Rangers.

In 1968 Albion reached their third cup final in a row, beating Everton at Wembley to win the FA Cup for the fifth time.

They were back at Wembley for the League Cup Final in 1970 but lost 2-1 to Manchester City.

1972 saw them relegated and after two seasons in Division Two, they had a long spell of relative success, which saw them qualify for the UEFA Cup three times between 1978 and 1981.

However, in 1986 they were relegated back to the Second Division.

Relegated to Division Three

In 1991 the club dropped into the Third Division for the first time in their history, returning to Division Two in 1993.

In 2002 they were back in the top flight, but suffered immediate relegation, before they regained their status in 2004.

The Great Escape

They staged an amazing last day escape at the end of the 2004/2005 season, but the following year there would be no escape as Albion were relegated again.

In 2006/07 the Baggies lost out to Derby County in the play-off final.

The following year they returned to the top flight as winners of the Championship, but once again their stay was a short one - they were relegated after finishing bottom.

True to form, the Baggies bounced back at the first attempt.

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