Johnny Phillips: Wolves' seventies legends reunite to remember golden days

Several of the Wolves squad from the Seventies regularly attend Molineux Memories meetings at the stadium to chat about their playing days and share those times with supporters who suffer with these brain diseases, as well as others who are looking for company.

Tickets for the Wolves Wembley Wonders evening on Tuesday, May 14, are available at the theatre’s website and the booking office.

The evening will also include those from the squad who played their part in that successful early-Seventies era.

As well as players like John Richards, Kenny Hibbitt, Derek Parkin, John McAlle, Geoff Palmer, Phil Parkes, Steve Daley, Barry Powell and Gary Pierce, there will be many supporters gathering to pay homage to their heroes from yester- year.

Several members of Scandinavia’s Viking Wolves supporters’ club are flying over for the night.

There will also be some crossover with the world of showbiz and the audience can look forward to some stars from the entertainment industry giving their thoughts on an amazing era for the club.

Aside from a host of on-stage guests, there will be a chance to watch some rare unseen archive of the period.

Several players have been trawling through their own memorabilia collections and the results have seen some great footage of the time being dusted off for the theatre audience to enjoy.

Earlier this month, some of those involved in the Wembley victory over Manchester City gathered at Molineux on the day of the Premier League win over Fulham.

Goalscorer Richards was away at the time, but is looking forward to the theatre reunion with his former team-mates.

“Cup finals are all about dreams and memories,” says Richards. “For a player, or a supporter, going to Wembley is a very special moment.

“Winning at the Twin Towers, as it was then, takes it to another level.

“Fifty years on, most of the events of that day are as vivid as if they happened yesterday – the coach drive down Wembley Way, waiting in the tunnel before kick-off, climbing the steps to get the trophy – and I’m sure it’s just the same for the fans who were there.

“All the 1974 lads who are able will be at the Grand Theatre in May for some unashamed reminiscing with the fans, and I can guarantee there will be a few surprises as well. It’s going to be a fantastic night.”

It was Hibbitt who struck Wolves’ first goal in the final, before Richards’ match-winner, on that glorious March afternoon and he is equally enthused by the opportunity to renew acquaintances.

“I’m looking forward to meeting the fans who supported me and my team-mates during some special times in the Seventies,” Hibbitt adds. “Without their great support our achievements would not have happened. They were an inspiration to us all and spurred us on in so many big games.”

Daley was a squad member for the final but played his part in so many great moments from that era, memorably scoring after just nine seconds in the Uefa Cup semi-final against Ferencvaros two years earlier.

“I’m sure there will be some supporters who we haven’t seen for years coming along to The Grand so please come up and say hello when we mingle in the bar afterwards,” Daley says. “It works both ways and that unwavering support helped ensure we were 100 per cent committed on the pitch.”

It bears recalling that Wolves’ squad from the time was blessed in virtually every position on the pitch.

Alongside Hibbitt and Daley in midfield there was a titan of a captain in Mike Bailey. With the likes of Alan Sunderland, Steve Kindon and Dave Wagstaffe to call on too, there was no shortage of supply to a frontline of Richards and Derek Dougan.

There are more tales than the players care to recall of Dougan’s mercurial brilliance, a character who loved winding up the opposition supporters and his own on occasion.

The defence was blessed with a solidity that made it one of the most reliable in the league at the time, with Frank Munro’s composure and style marking him out as a Wolves great.

And in goal, when Parkes had to step aside through injury for the Wembley showpiece, an unlikely hero emerged in the form of understudy Pierce.

Last Saturday Wolves came tantalisingly close to another Wembley cup appearance, only to be thwarted by two heart-breaking goals in stoppage time from Coventry City.

That would have been another FA Cup semi-final occasion to add to the one under Nuno Espirito Santo in 2019.

Reaching a final is a special moment, though, and only a select few can share their golden memories on that count.

n For tickets to Wolves Wembley Wonders, log on to https://www.grandtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/wolves-wembley-wonders/