Rock star and Wolves fanatic Glenn Hughes was delighted when he found himself sitting next to one of his heroes, Molinueux midfielder Nenad Milijas, on an international flight.

The Cannock-born former Deep Purple and Black Sabbath bassist and singer was flying from Serbia to England after a press tour to promote his new band Black Country Communion’s forthcoming debut album, while Milijas was returning for pre-season training with Wolves.

Hughes said: “We sat next to each other on the plane from Belgrade to London. We talked all things Wolves and music.

“He’s the one person I wanted to meet in Serbia, and lo and behold we are seated next to one another on a plane!”

LA-based Hughes said on his website www.glennhughes.com that Milijas was a great footballer and had scored the “goal of the season” last year.

“He’s one of the good guys, a family man, and unaffected by the glitz and glamour of the Premiership. He loves Wolves and I’m askin’ all my fans to follow Nenad in the 011/012 season,” he wrote.

Hughes will be appearing at this weekend’s  High Voltage festival in Victoria Park, London, helping to front Heaven & Hell’s tribute to the late singer Ronnie James Dio.

Dio, who died of stomach cancer on May 16, had been due to perform with Heaven & Hell at the event.

Remaining members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice will play a one-off show at High Voltage to celebrate Dio’s life and work. The band will be completed by Hughes and Norwegian singer Jorn Lande, who will both contribute vocals.

Heaven & Hell will use the event to raise funds for the Ronnie James Dio “Stand Up And Shout” Cancer Fund, which is committed to the early detection and prevention of cancer. Also appearing at the event are Midlands melodic rockers Magnum. See Monday’s Express & Star for full coverage.

Hughes was a close friend of Dio’s for many years and performed a musical tribute at his funeral service in Los Angeles.

Black Country Communion’s self-titled album will be released on September 21.

By Ian Harvey