Why West Brom and Wolves’ FA Cup meeting is kicking off so early this morning

The black country derby will kick off at 11:45

Neighbours West Brom and Wolves will meet for the first time in two years in the FA Cup Fourth Round this weekend. The Premier League side make the short trip to the Hawthorns after beating Brentford in the Third Round replay while West Brom comfortably beat non-league outfit Aldershot Town. However in a rare situation, the game will kick off at 11:45am in what will be the first time the two teams have played against each other in front of fans since 2012. According to BirminghamLive, the decision has been taken following advice from the local police, as well as helping with the broadcasting schedules on ITV, who will be showing Liverpool vs Norwich City at 2:30pm. Wolves boss Gary O’Neil has stressed that his squad will know the importance of the game before they face off this weekend. He said: “There’s been some noise already from outside about the game and how big it is for the area. The lads understand and anyone who’s not too sure will be made fully aware this week how important the game is to everybody. “As they all are. We were desperate to beat Brentford in the FA Cup and West Brom will be no different. The fans will be more desperate for us to win, of course, and we respect that. “But for us it’s a cup game that we need to approach in the right way and try to get through to the fifth round.” If Wolves win, it’ll be their first at the Hawthorns since 1996. Read next:

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