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West Bromwich Albion fans featured on FA Cup stamp identified
Three women who appear on a new Royal Mail stamp celebrating 150 years of the FA Cup have been identified as “home and away” West Bromwich Albion supporters.
The stamp shows the Baggies fans cheering their team in the 1968 final.
Sylvia Collins said it featured friends Beryl, Molly and Val who would have thought it “lovely” to be highlighted.
“I think it’s a great honour for them to be on the stamp, they’d be chuffed,” she added.
“I had a cry when I seen it.”
The three women are seen holding dolls dressed in the team’s colours at the Wembley final.
“When they won the cup they gave Tony Brown one, and I think they gave most of the other players one as well,” she told BBC Radio WM.
“They were making them all season – they bought the dolls and knitted the clothes.”
‘Players knew them’
West Brom won 1-0 after extra time with Jeff Astle scoring the winning goal in the game. It was the first final to be televised live on BBC Two in colour.
Sylvia said she used to attend matches at the team’s Hawthorns stadium regularly with the women.
"They were a lot older than me, I was the babby. Most of the players knew them as well. They used to stand at the halfway line, where the east stand is now.
“Home and away fans they were,” she added.
“I definitely know that Beryl has passed away, and Molly, but I’m not sure about Val.
“They would think [appearing on the stamp] was lovely”, she added.
Another memorable FA Cup moment included is Keith Houchen’s equaliser for Coventry City against Tottenham Hotspur with a diving header in the May 1987 final.
The stamps will go on general sale from 8 March and are available to pre-order from Monday.
Original article published 03.03.2022 on the BBC News website
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