Birmingham City, West Brom support will share fond memories of big-game player | OneFootball

Geoff Horsfield was the scorer of big goals for the West Midlands rivals

Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion supporters may not see eye-to-eye all the time, but both sets of fans will share fond memories of big goals scored by Geoff Horsfield.

The Barnsley-born forward earned a reputation as one of the EFL's most potent goalscorers for a period of time, having aided the start of Fulham's charge from the lower reaches of the professional game to the Premier League between 1997 and 2001, signing for the Cottagers after a prolific start to life in what is now League Two for Halifax Town.

After reaching the Championship with the West London side and netting seven goals at the level during the 1999/00 campaign, the then-26-year-old would become Blues' record-signing for a reported £2.25m, signing a five-year contract under the management of the club's most iconic figure, Trevor Francis.

Under Francis and Steve Bruce, the striker became a fans' favourite at St Andrew's, being the scorer of some vital and momentous goals in the club's recent history.

Geoff Horsfield etched himself into Birmingham City folklore with momentous goals

Horsfield's first season in Royal Blue saw him end the season as the club's top scorer, with his first for the club ironically coming against Albion in a 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns in September 2000, before netting his first goal in B9 the following week in a 2-0 success over Tranmere Rovers.

The striker also played a starring role in Blues' run to the EFL Cup final, scoring twice in the 4-1 success over Ipswich Town in the semi-final second-leg, before being substituted prior to the penalty-shootout defeat to Liverpool at the Principality Stadium.

Horsfield also did his best to prevent further play-off heartbreak for Birmingham against Preston North End, scoring after 58 minutes of the second-leg to restore an aggregate advantage for Francis' men, before David Moyes' side turned the tide and progressed to the final against Bolton Wanderers on penalties.

The start of the 2001/02 season was one of inconsistency, and after Francis was dismissed in October and subsequently replaced by Steve Bruce, the side enjoyed a fine run in the second half of the campaign, with the former non-league frontman once again the scorer of important goals.

Blues needed to see off Sheffield United on the final day to secure another shot at breaking their play-off hoodoo, with Horsfield opening the scoring against the Blades on 61 minutes, with an eventual 2-0 scoreline enough to see the club into the post-season lottery.

After his strike partner, Stern John became the hero of the hour against Millwall with a dramatic tap-in at the Den, the 'Barnsley Bricklayer' would come to Bruce's aid nine minutes after Iwan Roberts gave Norwich City the lead in the play-off final in extra-time, heading in a knockdown from his strike partner.

Horsfield would then continue to play a role under Bruce in the Premier League, despite the signings of Clinton Morrison and Mikael Forssell throughout the campaign.

He also couldn't have picked a better occasion to score his first top-flight goal, as Blues saw off Aston Villa in their first league meeting since 1987 with a resounding 3-0 victory, most known for Peter Enckelman's disastrous mishap.

“They were a lot better players than us, they’d got Barry, they’d got Hendrie, they’d got big Dion, Merse… top players. We’d just come up and we hadn’t played them in a derby for years. Everything was just Blues Villa, Blues Villa, as soon as that fixture came out that’s all anybody was on about. From August to September, they never spoke about anything else apart from this game," he told Undr the Cosh.

With Birmingham already 2-0 to the good, Horsfield netted just 12 minutes after replacing Morrison, taking advantage of yet another mistake, this time from Alpay Ozalan and firing it low past Enckelman in front of Tilton.

After also scoring in a 3-1 win over Bolton Wanderers, Horsfield would prove to be the scourge of the Villans once more in the reverse meeting at Villa Park.

His 77th-minute strike clinched a league double in the Second City Derby after he nipped in ahead of Enckelman before tapping into an empty net at the Holte End, further cementing his legacy as a cult hero in B9, as well as a 12-minute stint as emergency goalkeeper due to an injury sustained by Nico Vaesen.

He would then also score a 94th-minute winner against his eventual employers, effectively consigning the Baggies to relegation under Gary Megson, before his last competitive goal for Blues came on the final day of the season against West Ham United.

Horsfield's iconic moments in a West Bromwich Albion shirt

The following September saw the frontman join Wigan Athletic for an initial £500,000 sum, scoring in his first two games for the Latics against Wimbledon and West Brom.

Despite a strong start to life in Lancashire, with Wigan firmly among the play-off mix, Horsfield would play just 17 times for the club, scoring seven times, before joining the Baggies, who were leaders of the second tier at the time of his arrival.

In a side full of attacking prowess, the man who previously haunted those at The Hawthorns would score eight crucial goals during his first half-season with the club, including a last-gasp strike in a 3-2 win over Ipswich, as well as netting in a 2-0 win over Bradford City, which clinched an immediate return to the top flight.

A disappointing return to the Premier League saw West Brom rooted to the bottom of the table on Christmas Day 2004, before a return of four points from the final two games against Manchester United and Portsmouth saved Albion from relegation, with Horsfield playing a key role in the final-day escape under Bryan Robson.

The striker replaced Jonathan Greening on 58 minutes, scoring the opener with his first touch just seconds later with a stunning volley, before laying on Kieran Richardson's match-winning strike, sparking scenes of ecstacy in B71, with Horsfield describing it as "the best moment of my career."

His final season with the Baggies would prove to be one of frustration, despite netting braces in the club's first two home games of the season against Pompey and Birmingham.

However, after a distinct lack of gametime, Horsfield would return to Yorkshire, initially joining Sheffield United on loan in February 2006 before signing permanently for £1.2m at the end of the season, despite also failing to feature regularly in the Blades' title-winning campaign.