A school football team in prime West Bromwich Albion territory has changed its colours – to the Wolves’ gold and black.

Youngsters from the Cape Primary in Smethwick, just a stone’s throw from the Hawthorns ground, have accepted a gift of new kit from the Championship club after their own became weathered and worn.

Team coach Rob Fearn said: “I realise that the Baggies are the big team round here but I don’t think anyone will mind playing in the Wolves’ colours – I’m sure they will recognise the gesture for what it is.”

The school set up a special fund to replace their old green soccer strip and wrote to 72 professional clubs asking each of them for a fiver.

But instead of the anticipated £360, only one of the clubs, Oldham Athletic, responded – by sending £5.

However Wolves came up with an even better solution, and their offer of kitting out the seven-a-side team with shirts, shorts and socks was immediately snapped up.

Rob, a Walsall fan, said he did not see the decision as controversial.

“We do have one or two dyed-in-the-wool Baggies fans on the staff but no one was going to turn down an offer like this,” he said.

“To be fair, it could be that some clubs take longer than others to respond, so we don’t think badly of the ones that haven’t.

“We only contacted the clubs in the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2. We decided it wasn’t worth even trying the Premier League clubs.

“Walsall offered us some tickets and I’m sure one or two other clubs would have got back to us in time. “

He added: “We were fed up of playing in our existing kit which was falling apart. We needed a new one, even if it meant changing colours, and now we’re really looking forward to playing in them.”

Wolves spokeswoman Rachael Heyhoe Flint said the club was delighted to help out the team, which is currently sitting second in the West Bromwich Seven-A-Side League.

“They didn’t seem to be having much luck and we were happy to give the kit a good home,” she said.

As a treat, the youngsters were invited to the Wolves’ training ground in Compton to pick up their new kit.