West Brom aim to honour Jeff Astle Day in style against Leicester

For West Bromwich Albion, a win against Midlands rivals Leicester City would mean much more than just claiming an important three points, as the club celebrates Jeff Astle Day.

A former Baggies frontman and 1968 FA Cup final hero, Astle is being duly honoured at The Hawthorns, as his family launch the Jeff Astle Foundation, a charity dedicated to research into sports-related brain injuries.

Albion (21/20 favourites with Coral to triumph) will showcase a special vintage kit in the clash, with current players turning out in white shirts and shorts, plus red socks; the same style that Astle and co wore back in their famous 1968 FA Cup-winning season.

Captain Chris Brunt spoke ahead of the special match, stating: “He is an iconic figure for this club and someone everybody knows about and I’m sure the fans will all support the cause, but three points on the day would be the icing on the cake.”

It is fitting that the Baggies will battle the Foxes (13/5 to win) on such an occasion, as club legend Astle made his debut against Leicester back in 1964, so West Brom will be eager to secure a result for his family and fans.

The hosts are a tempting 23/10 to split the spoils, but do have a fine recent record against their rivals, winning all four of their last tussles across all competitions.

Another ex-Albion forward, Gary Thompson, weighed in on the debate over which player should claim Astle’s iconic number nine for the duel, plumping for Brown Ideye over Saido Berahino.

“It’s a tough shirt to wear on the day, for sure. But Saido is never going to be a number nine in the traditional sense. He’s always going to be better playing off a front man.