2017 review part one: A year of change and emotion

January

Wolves made a big statement of intent by snapping up Portuguese winger Helder Costa for a then club-record fee.

Costa was the shining light for the Molineux side during the first half of the Championship season, on loan from Benfica.

He joined on a permanent basis for £13million after playing a key role in Wolves’ huge 2-1 FA Cup fourth round success against Liverpool. Richard Stearman and Andreas Weimann got the goals against Jurgen Klopp’s charges at Anfield.

That made it back-to-back wins over Premier League opposition in the Cup, after Paul Lambert’s side beat Stoke 2-0 earlier in the month.

Their fierce rivals, Albion, also made a big-money signing in January.

Midfielder Jake Livermore was snapped up for £10million from top flight strugglers Hull City.

And the Baggies managed to finally offload striker Saido Berahino, for an initial £12million to Stoke.

Villa brought in the likes of Scott Hogan, Conor Hourihane and Henri Lansbury while Walsall only made a couple of loan signings.

Tributes were paid to former Villa, Wolves and England boss Graham Taylor, who passed away aged 72.

Taylor led Villa back to the top flight in 1988 and steered them to a second-place finish two years later.

We also remembered ex-England Women’s cricket captain and Wolves vice-president Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, who died aged 77.

Shrewsbury boss Paul Hurst overhauled his squad – bringing in eight new faces and letting several players, including Jim O’Brien and Andy Mangan, leave.

They only lost one of their five games in January too.

Also in football, the FIFA Council announced plans to expand the World Cup to 48 teams from 2026 onwards and England Women’s record scorer Kelly Smith retired.

Darts standout Michael van Gerwen claimed his second PDC World Championship title with a 7-3 victory over Gary Anderson at Alexandra Palace.

And in snooker, Ronnie O’Sullivan won the Masters for a record seventh time with a 10-7 triumph against Joe Perry.

February

This was very much a month to forget for Wolves. After the joy of beating Liverpool, they were dumped out of the FA Cup by eventual Premier League winners Chelsea at Molineux – and they lost all four league games.

Albion supporters had reason to cheer though, as they went unbeaten in February. And Baggies chief Tony Pulis and Stoke boss Mark Hughes confirmed Saido Berahino served a suspension – reportedly for testing positive for a recreational drug – before he moved to the Potters.

Villa ended the month with two much-needed victories – against Derby, and Bristol City.

Non-league outfit AFC Telford signed veteran centre forward Lee Hughes, formerly of Albion and Kidderminster Harriers.

He made an instant impact for the Bucks as well, netting on his debut to clinch a 1-1 draw with National League North leaders AFC Fylde.

Another non-league side made the headlines that month, with a farcical incident overshadowing their great run in the FA Cup.

Sutton United, from the National League, finally bowed out of the competition with a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the fifth round.

But rather than the fact they gave Arsene Wenger’s men a decent run for their money, the big talking point was Wayne Shaw’s pie-eating antics.

The club’s reserve goalkeeper tucked into a pie, in the dugout, on live TV after a bookmaker had offered odds on him to do so – and he resigned shortly after.

Also out of a job was Claudio Ranieri. He was sacked as Leicester manager less than a year after their miraculous Premier League title win, with ex-Albion and Walsall man Craig Shakespeare taking the reins.

In cricket, Alastair Cook stepped down as England captain after 59 Tests in charge.

Joe Root described himself as ‘privileged, humbled and very excited’ after being confirmed as Cook’s successor.