Crowd trouble mars Wolves’ FA Cup derby victory against West Brom

This should have been a story of how Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha etched their names into Black Country folklore as they helped Wolves to win their first derby at the Hawthorns since 1996 to earn a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Instead the passions of this fixture spilled over in ugly scenes as fans in the Halfords Lane stand clashed and the game was paused for 35 minutes. Kyle Bartley, the West Bromwich Albion defender, went over with his family, child in arms, to appeal for peace.

It was a sobering sight. The players all left the pitch as police and stewards sought to restore law and order. With the West Midlands Police – all leave cancelled for this first Black Country derby with fans in 12 years – stretched to the limit at the hot spots at opposite ends of the ground, singular fans still wandered out onto the pitch to taunt their opposing number before being led away by stewards; other individual fans were led away, one on a stretcher, another with blood pouring from his head.

The Football Association has launched a swift investigation into the crowd trouble. “The disorder that occurred at the Black Country derby between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers is completely unacceptable”, read the statement. “Safety and security are of the utmost importance, and the behaviour of those involved is dangerous and inexcusable. We will be investigating these serious incidents alongside the clubs and the relevant authorities, and the appropriate action will be taken.”

These were the most concerning scenes envisaged when the draw was made for an intense derby that has been fought since these clubs were founder members of the Football League. They may not have played for three years, when West Brom were on their way down from the Premier League, but that only added to the anticipation that has made household names of Steve Bull, Kevin Donovan, Rob Hindmarch, Iwan Roberts and Peter Odemwingie down the years. Not to mention the 11-point deficit West Brom made up on Wolves to pip them for promotion in 2002; or the pie-and-pint FA Cup tie at Molineux in 2007 when Wolves gave up the whole of their own South Bank before losing 3-0 and all face as Albion fans left Tesco carrier bags all over the seats they had gleefully been given.

Wolves are seven games unbeaten now and in fine fettle while West Brom, notwithstanding a fine record here at the Hawthorns where they have only been beaten four times in Carlos Corberan’s 15 months in charge, remain in the hunt for a playoff pitch at returning to the elite as they await their longstanding takeover.

Neto, now with 10 goal involvements to his name despite three months out injured, scored seven minutes before the break, and on the break, and Matheus Cunha also showed how deadly Wolves are on the transition as he effectively sealed the result, if not the drama, 12 minutes from time.

West Brom were the better side in the first quarter of the game, repeatedly getting down the left in behind Matt Doherty, the Wolves left-wing-back, and if either Brandon Thomas-Asante or Jed Wallace had scored from relatively free headers, from the centre of the goal, then the game’s trajectory could have been very different.

When Wallace, getting past Toti, invited John Swift to calmly stand Craig Dawson down and turn back inside the six-yard area for his shot to be deflected behind, it was clear where Wolves were struggling. Gary O’Neil acted and Tommy Doyle dropped into what used to be called left-half. This had the corollary of freeing up Doherty further forwards for the Premier League side who, despite performing below par at this stage, started to gain a foothold in the tie.

There was one warning for the home side when Doherty’s backheel allowed Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to free Matheus Cunha down his favoured inside-left channel. His cross was cleared by Cédric Kipré off Okay Yokuslu for a corner.

It was from a corner for the home team that Wolves broke to score. When Doherty intercepted Alex Mowatt’s delivery on the edge of his own box, Neto set off like a hare down the right channel. Doherty took a couple of touches, a quick look and paced his pass perfectly. This is how Neto likes it. Throwing a couple of shapes with his shoulders, coming in from the flank, the Portugal forward rode inside past Swift and Conor Townsend before drilling a left-footed shot back inside the near post, wrong-footing Josh Griffiths.

Corberan had chosen to stay with his ‘cup keeper’ despite Alex Palmer, his regular No 1, having kept more clean sheets than any other Championship stopper. West Brom had nine players missing, with Semi Ajayi and Grady Diangana still away at the African Cup of Nations and Daryl Dike and Adam Reach joining the injured list.

Yet still they kept to their task, doggedly, against these Wolves. Kilman had to throw his body into the path of Swift’s shot and, shortly after half-time, Albion might have had a penalty. Mowatt crossed from the left and when Wallace headed intelligently across the face of goal, Max Kilman did not appear to get any of the ball as he challenged to prevent the impressive Thomas-Asante from turning the ball over the line.

To be fair to Thomas Bramall, the referee erred on the side of leniency throughout which let the game flow, even when Wallace took Doyle out and was cautioned. When Bartley baulked Matheus Cunha as the Wolves striker prepared to open up his pacy legs with the whole half ahead of him, Dawson led the charge of umbrage, accusing his former teammate of using his elbows. Bramall again limited himself to issuing a yellow card.

Matheus Cunha mustered the ultimate revenge when he scored the goal that should have taken the sting out of this game and left Wolves cruising calmly into the fifth-round draw. Kilman intercepted to play a fairly standard ball up into the inside-right channel where the in-form Brazilian striker, who scored the winning penalty in the third-round replay against Brentford, composed himself before striking his eighth goal of the season through Griffiths’ legs.

One minute later however any sense that this was going to pass off as a relatively comfortable derby victory for the Premier League visitors against their game Championship neighbours disappeared into the cold Black Country afternoon.