 Due to an injury caused by a shooting accident while preparing for a sprint race with his trainer William Norman, West did not make his first appearance of the 1904–05 season until he played in a 3–1 loss to Manchester United on 24 December 1904.Despite this, West played in 16 matches of that Second Division campaign as the Reds shot straight back to the top flight, winning the second division title in 1905.A year later West added a League championship medal to his collection as he missed just one game of the 1905–06 season.