A 2010 article in The Daily Telegraph ranked the rivalry between Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion as the third most fierce in the region, behind the two aforementioned derbies.

The two first met on 9 December 1882, in the second round of the Staffordshire Cup: Villa hosted a 3–3 draw in front of 13,900 fans, while in the replay West Bromwich Albion won by a single goal with an attendance of 10,500.

On 3 January 1885 they met for the first time in the third round of the FA Cup: a goalless draw at West Bromwich Albion was followed by a 3–0 victory for them away at Aston Villa.

[7] West Bromwich Albion's Ally Robertson said that the rivalry with Villa was more important than that with Wolverhampton Wanderers at this time, as Wolves were a comparatively weak team.

[7] Cyrille Regis, who also represented the two during that era, contrasted the scale of the rivalry with that of the Black Country derby: “They are both big games for different reasons.

[9] Tony Morley represented Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion in the 1970s and 1980s, winning the league and the European Cup with the former.