History, is of course what you make it, especially the importance of any historical fact, and we at West Bromwich Albion Football Club, are always mindful of our prestigious past, and have reached a Historical pinnacle that puts the name “Tobias William Collyer” at the very top of that pinnacle, ‘Toby’ becoming the 1000th Albion player to make a League debut for the club since the formation of the Football League way back in 1888.
It is a marvellous record that I’m sure even the great football statesman, William McGregor, the man that started it all back in the late 1880’s, with an idea….an idea to make competition amongst the ever growing number of fledgling football clubs, more interesting, with the formation of a league system, and 137 years later, as young Toby Collyer pulled on that famous blue and white striped shirt at Wrexham on Saturday 16th August 2025, history was made, as the young man from Old Trafford, albeit ‘on loan’ from Manchester United, cemented himself well and truly into the West Bromwich Albion folklore for ever and a day.
As we look back into Albion’s history, the first cap was awarded to the great William Isaiah Bassett’s family, Billy nof course featuring in that very first Football League game against Stoke City on September 8th 1888, a 2-0 victory that took Albion to the top of the league for the very first time, followed by another away victory at Derby, Albion becoming the FIRST team ever to momentarily top the First Division in history!!
Eleven years later in 1899, just before the turn of the century William Walter Walker, a promising inside forward, known as ‘Billy’ became the 100th man to make a League debut, when he stepped out against Nottingham Forest on the 7th October, only to find himself on the ‘end of’ a 6-1 hiding at the City Ground, but never- the-less a milestone in the club’s ever growing history.
Bob Pailor, became the 200th player to make a league debut on the 30th January 1909, when he pulled on the ‘number nine’ shirt, although there were no numbers back then of course, but it would be the first of Bob’s ninety odd appearance for the club, on a day that would end goal-less.
The great Jimmy Murphy, a young Welsh inside forward come wing half , more famous of course for the magnificent job he did re-building the ‘broken’ Manchester United team after the Munich Tragedy, would make his debut for Albion on 5th March 1930 at Blackpool, in a Division Two game, a 1-0 defeat, but he would be the 300th Albion player to make his mark for the club in League football.
Another wonderful player, Johnny ‘One the spot’ Nicholls would be the 400th debutant, making his bow in the First Division against Chelsea at The Hawthorns, deputising for the injured Ronnie Allen on 1st March 1952, keeping his place in the side almost permanently, apart from injury, from that day.
Alistair Brown, bought by Don Howe from Leicester City in 1972, would be the man to make the 500th League debut milestone, scoring on debut agaainst Crystal Palace at The Hawthorns in a 1-1 draw, the first of 359 first team appearances for the ‘Throstles, scoring nearly 100 goals along the way.
Former Arsenal defender Chris Whyte would become the 600th player to make a league debut for the club when he wore the number five shirt at Shrewsbury Town on 10th September 1988, Whyte using Albion as a stepping stone as he attempted to resurrect his career, and was without doubt a magnificent signing by Ron Atkinson.
The 700th cap recipient was a great favourite of mine, Mickey Evans who arrived from Southampton in October 1977 and made his debut for Albion coming on as substitute in a 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough on 29th November 1997.
Number 800 was accredited to Craig Beattie, a hugely talented Scottish international who made his debut for Albion in the season opener at Burnley on 11th August 2007, along with Leon Barnett, Tininho Fazenda, Carl Hoefkens, Felipe Teixera, Pele Cardosa Monteiro and the one and only James Morrison.
Allan Nyom was the 900th cap recipent, making his debut against West Ham United, along with Hal Robson-Kanu on 17th September 2016, followed nine years later to Saturday 16th August 2025, when young Toby Collyer quite literally re-wrote the Hawthorns history books, in a quiet corner of North Wales.
Thats what history is all about!