Old stars out to repair heartbreak

Wolves’ old guard will be looking to avoid penalty heartbreak tomorrow when they compete in the National Masters tournament.

The ex-Molineux stars missed out on the national title last year when they lost to Midlands rivals Leicester on penalties but are determined to go one further this year.

Darren Roberts, Don Goodman, Paul Jones, Andy Thompson, Phil Robinson, Mick Gooding, Mark Burke, Scott Taylor and David Kelly will take on Bristol City at the NEC in Birmingham at 6.30pm.

Roberts missed a crucial spot kick in the shoot-out and admits he is desperate to put it right.

“I missed that vital penalty in the final - I think it’s probably still travelling it went that high!” he said.

“I got a lot of stick from my mates about it and even though we know it should be a fun competition it still rankles.

“It is good fun but at the same time we want to go there, do one better than last year and actually win it.

“That has to be the aim, particularly after winning the Midland Masters for three successive years. We have to try and go one step further.”

The team completed a hat-trick of Midland titles in July when they thrashed Black Country rivals Albion 7-1 en route to a 6-2 demolition of Aston Villa in the final and Roberts feels their fitness could be key.

“I think we’re one of the better footballing sides at the tournament and we work it well with the rotation so that no one is ever on the pitch for longer than four minutes at a time,” said Roberts, who now lives in Sutton Coldfield and works as a gas engineer for the Ministry of Defence.

“We all keep ourselves in shape and myself and Mark both turn out for Aston Villa Old Boys which is good for fitness.”

The tournament kicks off at 6.30pm, with Leicester, Rangers, Middlesborough, Bristol City, Tranmere, West Ham and Manchester City all vying for the title with Wolves.

See Also:

• See every Wolves match photo from 2008-9 promotion season
• Check out our Wolves promotion timeline