Ally Robertson: West Brom can draw on Old Trafford history

Not only did I make my debut for the Albion as a spotty 17-year-old in a 2-1 win at home to Manchester United in front of 45,000 fans, but I also enjoyed some of my finest moments against them at Old Trafford.

Back in the day, myself and Brendon Batson used to have a bet each season on who would score the most goals.

It was quite funny, because you knew that if you got one, you were probably going to win! I only scored 12 times in 600-odd games for the Baggies.

But Old Trafford has been kind to us over the years, and it was the stage for one of the stand-out goals in my career.

In the late 1970s we held somewhat of a hoodoo over United, and enjoyed an eight-game unbeaten run against them that included the famous 5-3 at Old Trafford in December 1978.

Everyone remembers that game, but I’m more fond of the 1-1 draw there in March earlier that year.

We were losing 1-0 thanks to a goal from their own Scottish centre-back Gordon McQueen.

Then, in the last minute, I smacked a 25-yard volley into the top corner to snatch a point.

Lord knows what I was doing that far up the pitch, I normally got nosebleeds if I went over the halfway line.

Together with another 25-yarder at Anfield, those are the best goals of my career. There’s not too much competition, but then again, it’s all about quality over quantity!

Old Trafford wasn’t always a happy hunting ground. Back in my first season as a 17-year-old, we got hammered 7-0 there, but that was an extremely young Albion team full of reserves because it was the penultimate game of the season and we had nothing to play for.

We have had a couple of memorable wins there in recent years though, and even though it will be a daunting prospect off the back of their derby-day victory, hopefully Darren Moore will be able to get the team pumped up for the game.

It would be great to pick up something from the game but even if we played well enough to suggest it looked like we’re back on track, that would be enough.

Hopefully Darren can inspire a promising end to a horrible season, it would be great for him to be a part of pointing us back in the right direction.

It’s not going to be easy considering the fixtures we have left, but it’s something to strive for, considering relegation is now an inevitability.