 In 1953 – 54 Albion came close to being the first team in the 20th century to win the League and Cup double . They succeeded in winning the FA Cup , beating Preston North End 3 – 2 , but injuries and a loss of form towards the end of the season meant that they finished as runners @-@ up to fierce rivals Wolves in the league . Nonetheless , Albion became known for their brand of fluent , attacking football , with the 1953 – 54 side being hailed as the " Team of the Century " . One national newspaper went so far as to suggest that the team be chosen en masse to represent England at the 1954 World Cup finals . They remained one of the top English sides for the remainder of the decade , reaching the semi @-@ final of the 1957 FA Cup and achieving three consecutive top five finishes in Division One between 1957 – 58 and 1959 – 60 . 
