Graham Taylor tribute: Rivals Wolves and Aston Villa unite for emotional night
A Meeting of two clubs managed by Graham Taylor little more than 48 hours after his untimely death was always going to be an emotional occasion.
In an age when tributes are common, Wolves and Villa delivered one which felt both right in tone and genuinely poignant.
Despite the proximity of Taylor's death to the game, the programme contained four pages dedicated to the former boss, included pictures and numerous personal tributes from the likes of Steve Bull, Paul Lambert, Darren Ferguson and Peter Shilton to name just a few.
In and around Molineux, meanwhile, the stories and anecdotes of his time in charge of both clubs were flowing well before kick-off.
Taylor's stint at Wolves might have been over after just 20 months yet he left a lasting impression on the club's staff, many of whom are still there today.
At Villa, he had made a point of knowing everyone by their first name.
"You're part of my team," Taylor once told one of the club's programme writers.
At Wolves, it was no different and all of those talking made reference to the true gentleman he was.
As kick-off approached and supporters began to take their seats, so the volume increased.
Chants of 'There's only one Graham Taylor' started to echo around Molineux, boosted by the presence of more than 4,200 away supporters who occupied the entire lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand and a portion of the North Bank.
Roars greeted the arrival onto the pitch of Tony Daley, Rob Edwards and Mark Delaney.
They stood in the centre circle along with FA technical director Dan Ashworth, behind a floral tribute depicting Wolves, Villa and England shirts, during a thunderous minute's applause.
Kick-off brought a return to familiar tribal loyalties, though the tributes to Taylor were not done there.
When the clock struck 72 minutes, the whole ground again rose in union to applaud a man whose work will never be forgotten.
Dave Cook, the former managing director of Admiral Sportswear, dealt with Taylor during his brief spell with Wolves in the 90s as Admiral used to supply their kit.
He described Taylor as a 'lovely man' who will be 'sorely missed', telling the Express & Star: "He was the most organised man you could ever work with. I would bring the gear he asked for in a bag and he would go through it all 'yep lovely shirt, great shorts'.
"He told me the players would wash their own kit so asked for each kit to come with a plastic bag so the players could take their kits home.
"He would talk to anybody, whether you were an A-list celebrity or a kit supplier like me, he had time for everyone. He was a lovely lovely man.
"I was really quite emotional when I heard the news, he was the greatest bloke to work with. We will not see his like again."
Mr Cook, 56 from Claverley, also knew former Wolves owner Sir Jack Hayward from his timing dealing with the club.
He added: "I knew Sir Jack well and it was the biggest regret of his whole career letting Graham leave the club.
"He should have stayed as our manager to this day. Wolves would be in the Premier League now and would have been for a number of years had he stayed.
"Not long after he got sacked from Wolves we bumped into each other in the West Bromwich boardroom and he poured his heart out to me about what happened. He was so hurt by it all."
Fellow Wolves fan, 70-year-old Mick Dobrowolski from Castlecroft, also paid tribute to the club's former boss.
He said: "They should not have got rid of him here, I had a lot of time for him. It is devastating what happened."
