Crossing the divide: Craig Dawson has made a huge impact on both sides of the derby

But when it comes to those involved who have played on both sides of the divide, it is hard to gauge what the reaction will be, and that is certainly the case with Wolves defender Craig Dawson.

Albion emergence

The no-nonsense defender who was once tipped for England honours was arguably made at The Hawthorns. Plucked from League One Rochdale, Dawson went on to spend eight seasons at Albion with five of them being as as firm starting XI regular, four of them in the top flight, and he was someone who went on to become a fans favourite.

The fact that he will line up in the old gold and black on Sunday means he will no doubt be greeted by a smattering of boos from three sides of the ground – as is the way with modern football.

You could be a hero for the most part at one club, but if you return for any other club, not just a rival, you have to expect boos in this day and age.

But on the whole, Albion fans have fond memories of Dawson and he is still held in high regard by most of the fan base.

He was most known for his versatility during the Tony Pulis era at Albion. A centre-back by trade, but someone who was morphed into a right-back by Pulis, who for large parts adopted his ‘four centre-backs’ defence.

Dawson netted memorable goals against the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal, and was one of the players on the rise as Albion slid towards the Premier League trap door back in 2018.

And that led to what most would call the only blot on his Albion career – with the summer after relegation consisting of a transfer request and reports of Dawson training away from the club with his exit looking likely to happen.