It’s almost eight years to the day and I can still vividly remember my jaw hitting the floor and turning into my brother, struggling to believe that what I had just witnessed had actually transpired.
That incredible moment was Kenny Miller burying Wolves third and final goal after just 45 mins as we absolutely battered Sheffield United in the play-off final on a wonderful day at the Millennium stadium in Cardiff.
I’ve had feelings of disbelief since then of course, especially this season as we have beaten Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City at Molineux. But I haven’t felt that complete sense of utter shock and awe since those heady days in South Wales in 2003.
So when Fletcher slotted in his 2nd and Wolves 3rd just moments after the restart against the Albion on Sunday, I couldn’t celebrate, I just stood in stunned silence at what I’d just witnessed.
You may think that’s a tad daft or dramatic, but such was the importance of this game against our Black Country brethren, that the realization that 3 points were pretty much in the bag left me paralyzed with giddiness!
When the Baggies got one back just minutes later through an Odemwinge penalty, those giddy feelings turned into apprehension and fear. Surely we couldn’t chuck this precious lifeline away, surely three goals would be enough?
Wolves soaked up the expected Albion pressure in the 2nd half to claim the kingdom of the Black Country. And there were myriad heroic performance from the men in old gold. Stephen, Scrappy Doo, Hunt, who rumour has it, downed a crate of Red Bull before the game was like a man possessed; O’Hara had the creativity in the middle to unlock the Albion defence; Foley was a rock at the back and Fletcher was calmness personified in the way he took his two goals.
But the biggest slap on the back must be reserved for the often maligned Stephen, I’ll play anywhere boss, Ward. The poor bugger is often the buck of many a Wolves jibe about Mick McCarthy’s propensity to pick his favourites and shoehorn Wardy somewhere into the starting line-up.
Against the Albion though, Wardy got a rare opportunity to play as a second striker, the position he was brought to the club for, but rarely plays. And he was absolutely immense, a brilliant man of the match performance.
So after the lugubrious feelings following the Birmingham game and the euphoric exaltations of beating our Black Country neighbours, it’s that squeaky bum time as we approach the final two games of the season with Wolves fate in their own hands.
Before Roy Hodgson’s appointment at West Brom, I felt it was almost nailed on that the Baggies would be joining Wolves in this relegation dogfight.
Back then they were only kept out of the relegation zone by a single goal and they needed to act quickly to dig themselves out of the mire. And appointing Woy looks like a masterstroke.
Even when Villa were struggling down the bottom of the table, I never believed that come the shakeup at the end of the campaign that they would be fighting to stay in the top flight. Back to back wins against Newcastle and West Ham have seen them do just enough to avoid the scrap.
Villa have a talented mainly young side, but many have questioned the wisdom of appointing Houllier after O’Neil’s departure and Gérard has hardly pulled up any trees since his arrival. And given his recent stint in hospital, I doubt we will see him back in frontline management again next season.
So that just leaves two local teams battling to stay in the Premiership next season; Birmingham and Wolves.
Blues face Fulham at home on Saturday and then travel to Spurs on the final day, needing three points to be absolutely certain of survival from those two games. With 39 points, it may be that they are already safe, but I’m sure McLeish will have his men fired up to beat a Fulham side who have just been battered by Liverpool and don’t travel particularly well.
It is probably really only the Wolves who face real uncertainty over their ongoing Premiership status. In the most consistently inconsistent error-strewn season I can ever remember witnessing, I have seen massive highs beating the best clubs in England and gut wrenching lows with last minute howlers costing us precious points.
Such as Ji-Sung Park with the last kick at Old Trafford; Zubar’s moment of madness at the Reebok; Heskey’s towering header in the dying minutes at Molineux; the boinging of the Baggies with Vela’s last ditch goal and a plethora of mistakes costing us the chance to be much higher up the table.
I love a bit of drama though and this is was football should be all about. As much as supporting Man Utd or Chelsea must be fun, with all the trophies and goals, where’s the tension, where’s the anticipation in looking to the future and dreaming about what could happen?
Let’s look at little Aiden, a fictitious Chelsea fan aged 12 from Bilston with an attention span similar to that of a house brick. He’s never been to London, let alone Stamford Bridge, but yet he celebrated the league and cup double last season like he had blue blood coursing through his tiny veins.
What has this glory hunting munchkin got to look forward to next season? Another battle for the title? Champions League and domestic cup glory? His idea of a season ticket is his dad’s renewed subscription to Sky Sports. Pah! Give me Wolves and the exciting uncertain future any day of the week.
Aiden supports Chelsea because he mates do & kids are always looking for the best thing ever, rather than sticking with something for the long term that will be rewarding, but it make take some time!
I’ve answered the same way to anybody who has posed me the question about relegation these last few weeks, I fully expect Wolves to stay up. Of course it’ll come down to that final nail biting weekend against Blackburn at Molineux.
Before then it’s a trip to a misfiring Sunderland squad who have gone from challenging for Europe to abject failure. We are all talking about that final day of the campaign, but there is nothing to stop this Wolves side building on the humbling of the Baggies and claiming all three points at the Stadium of light.
One time Sunderland target Kevin Doyle will probably be on the bench for that game and a win would probably see my beloved Wolves safe.
The bottom three will probably be as they are now; West Ham, Wigan & Blackpool. Even with the great Scotty Parker back for their final two games, the ‘ammers mission is nigh on impossible, relying on the three teams above them to barely pick up a point. On Saturday they travel up to Wigan in a make or break game. From a purely selfish point I would like to see them beat the Latics to help ease our own quest, but what a game in prospect that is.
Blackpool face a do-or-die game against Notlob, or Bolton if your unfamilar with the Monty Python sketch below. With Man Utd on the final day and no Carlos Tevez figure to save their souls, I just can’t see them mustering enough points.
Tomorrow of course we also have the FA Cup final being played, as UEFA insist, a full 10 days before the showpiece Champions League Final. I’ll be in a pub watching Wolves hopefully beat Sunderland and then back home for the Cup final. I’d love to be in the North East tomorrow, but I’ve got a date watching the quite brilliantly talented Misty’s Big Adventure.
All that remains is for me to say thank you for reading my blogs this season. As well as Shoot Magazine, I’ll hopefully pop up somewhere next season to try and entertain you with my diatribe of Wolves poppy-cock.
Have a great summer. Up the Wolves!
@Wolvesblogger 