Express & Star

Classic match report - Wolves 6 Newcastle 2, 1992

Andy Mutch was forever destined to live in the shadow of Steve Bull.

Published

No shame in that, of course, seen as almost every Wolves striker in history is also in said shadow.

But, as Bully will tell you, Mutch was the perfect foil for the legendary 306-goal striker.

And, now and again, it was Mutch who stole the headlines - never more so than in March 1992 when Kevin Keegan's Newcastle United came to town.

It's not often you score six in a game. Since this match Wolves have achieved the feat three times in 23 years, against Bristol City in 1998, Gillingham in 2003 and Rotherham in 2014.

And, no disrespect to the aforementioned sides of the end of a six-goal thrashing, Newcastle were actually a decent side.

A side that was struggling towards the bottom end of the old Division Two, sure, but one that a year later would be runaway champions on the path to becoming one of the most thrilling attacking teams of the Premier League era in the mid 1990s.

That side was still taking shape in March 1992, but Keegan still had future Wolves striker David Kelly, Kevin Sheedy, Steve Watson, Gavin Peacock, Micky Quinn and Lee Clark in his ranks.

What followed at Molineux was unexpected, to say the least.

Wolves had scored five in their previous eight matches and were drifting towards mid-table anonymity, with the play-off-chasing form that brought them a five-game winning run at the turn of the year a distant memory.

Step forward hat-trick hero Mutch who, in front of 14,480 (and a few exuberant workmen in the building site that was the North Bank), scored three of his 10 league goals that season in a memorable night at Molineux.

"Newcastle are full of attack-minded players, so it should be a more open game," Graham Turner said before the game. He wasn't wrong.

Mutch to cheer! Hat-trick Andy the ace in Wolves' pack

By David Instone

Wolves 6 Newcastle 2, March 31 1992

Goals came back into fashion in a big way for Wolves last night as they ran riot in a sensational slaughter of Kevin Keegan's Newcastle.

In a tremendous, incident-packed game that blew away many of the bad memories of recent weeks, Wolves once more made Molineux a happy home with their best attacking performance of the season.

And Andy Mutch, who has struggled as much as anyone in the last seven months, took centre stage with his first hat-trick for the club.

They were by no means vintage goals - indeed two of them were decidedly fortunate - but rampant Wolves could easily have struck double figures.

Credit to them for pulling out a bonanza like this from the drudgery that preceded it, but credit, too, to Newcastle for playing a rich part in the feast.

They had numerous chances and near misses themselves, but, in throwing players forward apparently without a care in the world, they left gaping holes which Wolves poured through at every opportunity.

Wolves made a mockery of their run of three goals in five home games inside the first 11 minutes as Mutch scored for only the second and third times since August - first with a lucky in-off from Kevin Scott's clearance, then with a good close-range header after Tom Bennett had headed on Paul Birch's corner.

Wolves were quickly rocked back when an offside-looking Mick Quinn stretched to skilfully guide a shot over the stranded Mike Stowell.

Kevin Sheedy was then denied by his former Everton team-mate Stowell, but Bennett's commanding midfield contribution was highlighted when he stabbed home a Steve Bull pull-back from Paul Cook's 26th-minute corner to make it 3-1.

As if to prove we really had a game on our hands, Kevin Brock hit a post, Kevin Ashley blocked Scott's shot on the line and Bull broke clear to shoot into the side netting.

Not bad for 30 seconds worth of action!

Cook drove in No. 4 from an angle following a move started by Bennett's fine tackle and pass, but Newcastle still caused a few flutters after Gavin Peacock had for once escaped Keith Downing's clutches to rifle home Liam O'Brien's pass.

Keegan's Cavaliers were punished again when a freak deflection off Mutch from Cook's 25yd free-kick wrong-footed Tommy Wright.

And just when everyone was asking when Wolves last hit five without Bull scoring (answer: at Burnley in 1987), Wolves' record goal-scorer rounded it all off with a fine angled drive on the run.

No April Fool's Day joke...all this really did happen.

WOLVES: Stowell, Ashley (Kelly, 87), Venus, Bennett, Madden, Mountfield, Birch, Cook, Bull, Mutch, Downing. Sub: Steele.

Goals: Mutch (6, 11, 85), Bennett (26), Cook (49), Bull (87).

Bookings: Stowell (16, time-wasting), Bull (57, ungentlemanly conduct).

NEWCASTLE: Wright, Watson, Stimson, O'Brien, Kilcline (McDonough, 58), Scott, Quinn, Peacock, Kelly, Sheedy, Brock. Sub: Clark.

Goals: Quinn (13), Peacock (73).

Bookings: Quinn (54, elbowing), Scott (57, ungentlemanly conduct), McDonough (87, hand-ball).

Attendance: 14,480

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.