Iwan Roberts: Former Wolves striker hoping old club prove too strong for West Brom in FA Cup derby
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Iwan Roberts (centre) began his career at Watford before having spells with Huddersfield, Leicester, Wolves, Norwich, Gillingham and Cambridge
Former Wolves striker Iwan Roberts says his old club should have "too much quality" for West Bromwich Albion in Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round tie at The Hawthorns.
The bitter West Midlands rivals meet for a 163rd time and first since their 1-1 draw in the Premier League in May 2021.
They last met in the FA Cup 17 years ago when Albion won 3-0 at Molineux.
"It's such a big occasion for the West Midlands," Roberts told BBC Radio WM.
"No-one had to tell me how big the game was. I had seen it on TV. I knew how passionate the derby was.
"It's the same wherever you go - the supermarket, gym or the pub - that is the one thing people want to talk about.
"The Wolves players should know what it's about. If they don't quite get what this derby is about as soon as they arrive at The Hawthorns, they will."
Roberts' brush with the Black County derby may have been brief - he was only at Wolves for a season - but he made the most of his opportunity in the two games he played against the Baggies in the 1996-97 season.
The Wales striker's hat-trick in Wolves' 4-2 win at The Hawthorns in the second tier - Football League Division One as it was called then - not only kick-started his stuttering career in Old Gold but seared his name into the hearts of Wolves fans, who had packed out the whole Smethwick End of the ground, for ever.
"It was hostile," Roberts said. "That Smethwick End - there aren't many teams who can take that over.
"It was so noisy you couldn't hear yourself think or your team-mates talking.
"The best way to quieten the West Brom fans was to score those goals. It was just a shame I couldn't score all three at the Smethwick End - that would've been the icing on the cake - the first two were in front of the home fans."
"Personally it was a great day - but a fantastic one for the club."
It usually takes players years to acquire legendary status among supporters. It took Roberts 49 minutes. His goal in Wolves' 2-0 win in the return fixture in January 1997 merely cemented that affection.
"I had to dedicate the three goals to the Wolves fans because they were really patient with me," Roberts, who had scored his first Wolves goals five days earlier at Oxford United, said.
"I didn't score in my first seven games. Then I had four in nine, which isn't too bad for a centre forward."
West Brom v Wolves: The last FA Cup meeting between local rivals from 2007
Roberts' 'would've loved to have scored more goals'
Roberts' only season with Wolves brought 12 goals and a near miss at promotion to the Premier League with their defeat by Crystal Palace in the play-off semi-finals.
His hopes of another crack at the top flight were dashed when Wolves manager Mark McGhee told him Norwich City wanted him.
"I didn't really want to leave. I was happy and had two years left on my contract," he said.
"We just missed out on promotion and we had a really tight dressing room but when Mark McGee pulled me in to say the club had accepted a bid it forced my hand.
"I would've loved to have scored a lot more goals but the four I got against West Brom was the last time they did the double over them."
It was also the last time Wolves won away at Albion, with five defeats and six draws in the 11 trips since that memorable September afternoon.
Wolves fans will again own the Smethwick End on Sunday, with 4,000 making the short hop down the A41 to The Hawthorns to see if their squad's Premier League prowess can see off the Baggies.
'They will know the size of the game by kick-off'
With the influx of foreign players across the top two divisions in recent years, Roberts is aware the make-up of the two sides is very different to his day but says the reward for whoever can become the hero remains the same.
"There is a big foreign influence in the Premier League and Championship and I don't think they quite get how big certain derbies are," he said.
"Once they walk about and sample that atmosphere as we did 28 years ago - they will know the size of the game by kick-off.
"That's the good thing about local derbies. They can endear you to supporters for ever.
"When I was at Huddersfield and I'd had a bad four or fives months at the start and not scored the goals they were expecting, we played Bradford away - our biggest game then - we were 2-0 down at half-time and getting slaughtered by the fans.
"But I scored two goals in the second half and we drew 2-2 and my career there took off.
"If you can get the winning goal or the one that makes sure you don't lose it doesn't half help."
Wolves come into the tie unbeaten in six games after their goalless draw at Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday, while Albion's Championship promotion challenge took a dent with a 2-0 defeat at Roberts' old club Norwich in their last match.
"West Brom had a bad result and, normally, the priority is staying in the Premier League for Wolves, but if Wolves go strong, and I hope they do, I just think they'll have too much quality - but I wouldn't say anything else," Roberts said.
It was one type of Iwan Roberts hat-trick that sank Albion nearly 28 years ago.
Having only lost at home this season to Leicester City and Huddersfield - two of Roberts' former clubs - a defeat for the hosts could have the Welshman celebrating another type on Sunday.
Iwan Roberts signed for Norwich from Wolves and scored 97 goals in more than 300 appearances in seven years at Carrow Road
Iwan Roberts was speaking to BBC WM's Steve Hermon.