From the archive - when Flowers met Flowers

Tim really grew on Ron when Flowers from different Wolves decades were planted together in 1984.

Teenager Tim was just days from making his Wolves debut when he popped in to see legendary title-winner and 49-time-capped England World Cup squad member Ron in his Queen Street sports shop.

Flowers senior handed the 17-year-old a Wolves scarf to mark his momentous debut, which came against Sheffield United on August 25.

Wolves manager Tommy Docherty's frantic search for an established goalkeeper ahead of the start of the new season had proved fruitless, so Flowers was thrown in at the deep end.

John Burridge and Paul Bradshaw were both injured. And Docherty pulled out of a bid to sign Everton goalkeeper Jim Arnold in the week before the 1984/85 curtain-raiser, after they were unable to agree a fee.

[related_posts title="More from the archive"]

Flowers duly signed professional terms five days before the Sheffield United game (a 2-2 draw), despite having made just seven Central League appearances up to then.

Docherty said: "I am very impressed with what I have seen of him in practice and in the pre-season friendlies and I know he will not let us down, but it is asking a lot of a 17-year-old to cope with a full season."

Well that was exactly what Flowers did, playing 38 of 42 league games in what was a disastrous season for Wolves.

Flowers, whose form meant Burridge was pushed out on loan and then sold, kept eight clean sheets as Docherty's side tumbled to the Third Division.

He featured 25 times the season after - another miserable relegation campaign for a club experiencing the worst period in its entire history.

A lot to ask of a teenager. But Flowers performed admirably. So much so that First Division giants such as Arsenal and Everton were watching him closely.

For Flowers the pressure - and the demoralisation of playing in arguably Wolves' worst ever team - was too much, and in February 1986 he handed in a transfer request.

Still only 19, he said at the time: "After playing in the first team for so long and suffering so many defeats I felt my confidence was going as we suffered defeat after defeat and the only way I could regain my confidence and improve my game was to move to another club.

"It can only be for the best of both parties, Wolves and myself. I am grateful the club are not making it a long, drawn-out affair and granted my request quickly."

At the end of the season, and with Wolves about to play Fourth Division football for the first time in their history, Flowers got his move, with top-tier Southampton paying £90,000 to make him understudy to non other than England great Peter Shilton.

In the days long before Twitter, or even the internet, everyone was told about the deal except for the player himself, who was on holiday.

"As soon as he returns I will let him know what has happened," Wolves manager Sammy Chapman assuringly said.

Southampton boss Chris Nicholl was delighted to sign Flowers, saying: "He has come here to be educated under the best there is, Peter Shilton.

"What he learns from Peter in the next year should make him the complete goalkeeper."

It certainly did. By the time Flowers left Southampton in 1993, he had made 193 top-flight appearances and become an England international.

From there he went to Blackburn Rovers and, 11 years after making his debut for Wolves, won the Premier League title.