Sam Allardyce today spoke of his Black Country childhood as he prepared to return to the West Midlands for Bolton’s Carling Cup tie at Walsall – and revealed he still has a soft spot for Wolves.The Trotters manager talked exclusively to the Express & Star on the eve of the second round clash at Bescot and recalled how he was forced to leave his home town of Dudley as a teenager to chase his football dream.

Allardyce also told how Wolves triggered his love affair with football, how he was driven to prove Albion wrong for sacking him, and how he was once banned from playing for non-League Dudley Town because he was too young.

“I was born in Dudley but I left there when I was 15,” said Allardyce, who was considered for the England manager’s job before the appointment of Steve McClaren.

“I was there throughout my school days, but when I left school I had to look around for people offering me the opportunity to become a professional and the best offer was from Bolton.

“None of the Midlands clubs made me an offer, which was disappointing because I had to leave home. But in the long run it worked out well for me because I managed to break into the team at Bolton and that gave me the start of a long career.

“I never moved back to the West Midlands once I left at 15. I used to go back quite often to see my parents when they were still alive and I still go back every now and then to see my brother, who still lives in the area, but I don’t get back as often as I used to.”

Allardyce revealed he still follows the fortunes of Wolves after supporting them while growing up on Dudley’s Wren’s Nest estate.

And he recalled how his Dudley Town career was cut short after just two matches.

“I played for Dudley and Brierley Hill Schools, Staffordshire Boys and Birmingham and District Boys.

“I played for my youth club and I played with my brother a couple of times for Dudley Town. But when the teachers found out they stopped me because I was only 14 or 15 so I would have been playing against lads who were four years older than me.

“I wasn’t very happy at the time because I’d only managed to play a couple of reserve games, but they did the right thing for me because I could have got a serious injury.”

But he insisted he was still proud of being from Dudley. “I am a Black Country lad,” he said. “Whenever people ask me whether I’m from Birmingham I always correct them and tell them I’m from Dudley.

“But it’s been a long time since I’ve lived there, although of course I still have some affinity for the area I was brought up in.”

Despite his boyhood leaning towards Wolves, it was Albion who gave Allardyce his first taste of coaching when he was appointed to Brian Talbot’s coaching staff at The Hawthorns in 1989.

And although his stay back in the West Midlands ended with he and Talbot being sacked, the 51-year-old still believes his first backroom job was a valuable part of his managerial education.

“It was a difficult time for the club and for Brian Talbot and certainly for me. “I was reserves manager but then in the second year Brian wanted me to work with him and the first team.

“But it was always going to be difficult because he was under pressure from the start and it only lasted until January.

“I enjoyed working with the players in the reserves and we won the Birmingham League. It was a good experience and Ienjoyed the job.” Allardyce knows precisely how Saddlers boss Richard Money will be feeling ahead of tonight’s David versus Goliath clash, having managed minnows against top-flight teams earlier in his managerial career.

But he is confident his current side will have more than enough quality to see off Walsall’s challenge, providing they take the task seriously.

“It doesn’t matter what Walsall have done in the past or what kind of form they’re in because this is a one-off game.

“Walsall will perform really well, I’m sure of that. They will perform at their best and if our attitude is right we will be okay, and if it isn’t there could be a shock.”

Allardyce could be forgiven for being distracted this evening, as football fans across the country have one eye on the BBC’s Panorama investigation into football bungs.

The programme will be screened at 9pm on BBC One, and Allardyce and his agent son Craig – a former agent – are understood to have been among those investigated by the programme.

But the Bolton boss has insisted he will wait until it is screened tonight before reacting to any possible allegations.

“It’s really difficult to say anything because I don’t know what’s going to come out,” he said. “I can’t really speculate on speculation and from a legal point of view it’s difficult for me to answer.”

Allardyce expressed sympathy for his friend, Bryan Robson who was sacked by Albion yesterday.

The Trotters chief accused Albion chairman Jeremy Peace of a kneejerk reaction and said the Baggies should have been stronger in the face of fans’ criticism.

“It always happens to somebody at an early stage in the season and we see surprising things all the time in football.

“But often you can’t see the reasoning behind things, and I can’t see the reasoning here in terms of the position they’re in or the points they’ve got.

“It seems like a bit if a knee-jerk reaction to some stick from the crowd.”

See also: I spilled Sam’s pint – and lived

Popular stories:

• Mission complete for Mr RAF Cosford
• Video – Progress made on new gallery wing
• Video – Fans react to Robbo’s departure
• Make mine a sunflower
• Albion Crisis – the race to replace Robson