Ron Flowers signs a treasured keepsake for staff at the Moat House Hotel in Acton Trussell.

Ron Flowers’ high-profile reunion with the England World Cup winners this week came as only a partial surprise to Geoff Palmer - the former full-back knows how much his Molineux predecessor loves pounding the fairways.

And the two former Wolves men, who have both had spells as captain of their golf clubs, had an unplanned get-together of their own when they met in Portugal recently.

“Six of us went to the Algarve for a golf week and, about half-way through, I went with my mate to a bar for a coffee,” Palmer said. “He’s a Wolves fan and we were both looking at Ron and wondering whether it was him. When we realised it was, we had a nice catch-up.

“He was with his wife Yvonne because they have a part share in an apartment over in Alvor and were over there for a month or so. We were in a hotel just down the road from them.

“We tried very hard not to talk about what has been happening at the Wolves and chatted about golf, among other things. I know how much he loves playing.

“He didn’t tell me about this weekend he had coming up with the England lads but it isn’t a shock to me that they would do that sort of thing together. What a lovely way to stay in touch!”

Ron turns 80 in the summer of next year and shares a birthday with Palmer Senior, who took his lad to Molineux as a fan at the time the England legend was still playing.

While Flowers is a past captain at Brocton Hall, the course near Stafford that the Boys of 66 descended on this week, the younger man signed off in January from his year as skipper of Oxley Park.

Geoff Palmer....immortalised in memorabilia!

“We had a number of charity events and I was delighted to have helped raise £3,500 for the Air Ambulance,” Palmer said. “Being captain is great fun but it keeps you on your toes. My golf might improve a bit now!”

Three of Flowers’ 49 England caps were won against Portugal (twice at Wembley, once in Lisbon) and they were also the nation Sir Alf Ramsey’s team beat 2-1 in the semi-final of the 1966 World Cup finals.

Although Palmer broke through in 1973-74, he missed that season’s UEFA Cup clashes with Belenenses but played home and away against Porto the following autumn.

Not a bad line-up.....Ron Flowers is joined by (from left), Geoff Hurst, Gordon Banks and George Eastham.

First, an apology, because how I’d love to have spread the word of this happy reunion in advance! But protocol decreed otherwise. And so it came to pass that I had a one-man audience today with the bulk of England’s World Cup winning squad.

Our sincere thanks go to Ron Flowers for keeping a promise he made last year to tip us off when the time came for him to host the Charltons, Banks, Hurst & Co on this patch.

Once a year, the Boys of 66 meet for golf and a couple of days of socialising and engaged yesterday in friendly competition over 18 holes at Ron and wife Yvonne’s home course, Brocton Hall, on the edge of Cannock Chase.

Photographer David Bagnall, a long-time Express & Star colleague of this site’s co-owner, was welcomed as the event’s official photographer and we extend our gratitude for safe receipt of some of his splendid pictures.

I had my exclusive star-gazing opportunity this morning as the nation’s ultimate football heroes relaxed over breakfast before checking out of the magnificent Moat House Hotel, near Stafford.

Bobby and Nesta had headed off last night but, from the team who famously beat West Germany 4-2 at Wembley, Big Jack was still there to sign one or two keepsakes, as were Gordon Banks, Nobby Stiles, Roger Hunt and a certain hat-trick hero who drives a car with the GH3 66 number plate.

Also on hand were squad members Jimmy Armfield, Peter Bonetti, Ian Callaghan, George Eastham, Norman Hunter, and Ron himself…..wow, what a line-up!

Their presence together, anywhere, is a fan’s dream; especially a fan with an autograph book. But so aware are they of how many well-meaning admirers they would attract with pre-publicity that a certain veil of secrecy hangs over their reunions.

So much so that even many staff at the Moat House, in the village of Acton Trussell, weren’t let in on news of their arrival until the night before.

The players’ wives were in attendance, too. They had a few hours at Trentham Gardens while Ramsey’s men were pacing the fairways.

And the hospitality was first-class. Ron, with some help from Gordon Banks, ensured that every competitor walked off with a prize – and every lady also. Eastham, over from his home in South Africa, took top honours and wondered whether news of his success would appear in the Cape Times while Anfield legend Callaghan was seen loading the golf bag he won into his car, with his Everton-supporting wife lamenting the fact it wasn’t blue.

It’s probably a treasonable offence to poke too much fun at these guys but they occasionally appear to do what many other Seventysomethings – and some of us who are considerably younger  - do.

Big Jack was having trouble deciding whether he needed his glasses to play shots because, with the same pair, he couldn’t see the ball on the tee and where it came to rest down the fairway. Someone else mislaid their scorecard and Jimmy Armfield realised he had his wife’s coat and hat in his car boot at tee-off time – a dilemma the official photographer was able to rectify before the ladies went off on their jaunt.

At 78, Ron, an 18-handicapper, is the oldest of the group and is the last to act as organiser. “Yvonne and I have only been attending for a few years because, when I ran the sports shop, I was always too busy to get away,” he told us.

“But the lads as a whole have been having this get-together for nearly three decades. Martin Peters had to cry off on Sunday morning as his wife had flu and he said it was only the second time in 28 years he had missed it.

“I was a bit nervous because we’ve had some great weekends in the last few years and I just hoped this one would meet the same standards. I prayed that they would like the course and the hotel but it seems they all thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”

Amid thought of absent friends such as the departed Bobby Moore and Alan Ball, there was also sadness that full-backs George Cohen and Ray Wilson weren’t well enough to attend while Yvonne read out a best-wishes letter from the widow of John Connolly, the winger who died this season.

That's aw reet with me, ah kid......Bobby Charlton (left) talks tactics with brother Jack and the event organiser.....

And so, with hands shaken, backs slapped and bills paid, they went their separate ways – Big Jack to the North East, Hurst down the M5 to Gloucestershire, Banks and Eastham on the short trip up the M6 to news that Tony Pulis had left their beloved Stoke.

They will be doing it all again in 2014 and teeing off together, venue and date unknown.

* It has been written before but it’s worth saying again….Flowers was told by Alf Ramsey on World Cup Final eve that he was likely to be playing against the Germans. But Jack Charlton, who had prompted the alert by being taken ill, recovered in time to leave the Wolves man marooned on 49 caps.

A month of highs and lows has contained the saddest of get-togethers and also a glimpse into the fluctuating fortunes that come with the play-offs. We have also had a reminder of happy Wolves days in the lower divisions and another meeting with one of the club’s biggest 1960s stars.

Sign here, please.

Wednesday, April 24: Had what will be one of my last chats with Peter Knowles in Marks and Spencer. Having recently agreed to sign a 1960s-style Wolves shirt for a friend who is raising money for kids in Africa, Peter did the honours today but told me he was retiring in June. He plays some golf these days but is still very much committed to his faith, so his time will be put to good use.

Saturday, April 27: The return of several members of Wolves’ victorious Sherpa Van Trophy team proves the highlight of a wretched afternoon at Molineux. We at Wolves Heroes played a part in this mini on-field reunion through the provision of phone numbers and we were delighted to join in the applause for Steve Bull, Andy Thompson, Mickey Holmes, skipper Alistair Robertson and Graham Turner’s no 2 Barry Powell. It was particularly poignant when Mark Kendall’s widow Gaynor appeared, clearly emotional, and was greeted by Micky with an arm round the shoulder as they walked together to the centre of the pitch. With Wolves taking on their 1988 Wembley opponents, today just went downhill from that high point.

Wednesday, May 1: Saw a number of ex-Wolves players at the funeral in Halesowen of Dave Matthews, who served Albion for an astonishing 50 years, all but the first few of them as their kit-man. Dave, whose daughter Alison has a senior administrative position at Wolves, died suddenly at home the day after visiting Molineux for the home game against Huddersfield. Among the multitude there to pay their respects were Alistair Robertson, Cyrille Regis (both pall bearers), Keith Downing, Mel Eves, Richard Skirrow and Mark Venus. ‘Veno’ texted me repeatedly for directions en route down from the north-east with his boss Tony Mowbray.

Monday, May 6: Saw Kyel Reid at Burton yesterday when interviewing members of the victorious Bradford side for the League Two play-off final and crossed paths with another former Wolves man today. While waiting to see a couple of Brentford players, I caught the eye of Darren Ward as he emerged from the disappointment of the Swindon dressing room at Griffin Park. Kyel, who has played 40 Bradford games this season and scored five times, netted the goal at Barnsley that secured the Championship title for Wolves in 2009 – one of his nine appearances while on loan at Molineux.

Wednesday, May 8: Received a call from Adrian Goldberg at BBC WM asking for a number or two of former players he might talk to on air about Wolves’ current plight. I never give out contact details without permission and was delighted to hear that Geoff Palmer was quite prepared to be interviewed on air. Adrian was happy enough with that arrangement, given that Geoff still lives locally, watches some matches and even has experience of playing in the third tier from his second spell at Molineux.

Ally Robertson....two glimpses of him in a few days.

Monday, May 13: Witnessed the most astonishing ‘half-time refreshments’ performance from Steve Claridge tonight. While nipping downstairs for a cuppa at the Brighton v Crystal Palace play-off semi-final second leg, I clapped eyes on him sat alone, dunking his biscuit so far into his hot drink that his fingers were submerged as well. That one put away, he then fished into his pocket for two or three more and did just the same. Amazing! I’d restricted myself to one so as not to deprive the late-comers. Does that make me more of a team player?

Saturday, May 18: Am planning for yet another funeral after recently hearing the sad news that the veteran former Birmingham Post & Mail sports writer Ian Willars had died. ‘The Duke’, as he was widely known around press boxes, covered Wolves for several seasons in his latter career before being taken ill in a game at Selhurst Park early in the 2002-03 promotion season. Some lovely words were delivered in his memory by David Harrison at Tuesday’s annual Midland Soccer Writers lunch in Dorridge – just the sort of occasion Ian would have loved.

Peter in action against Albion in the early 1960s.

We at Wolves Heroes are delighted to recognise a landmark birthday in the life of Peter Broadbent.

The man who stands seventh in the all-time list of Wolverhampton Wanderers appearance makers was born in Elvington, Kent, 80 years ago today and played for nearby Dover before joining Brentford in May, 1950.

The fact that he went on to play 497 competitive first-team games while at Molineux suggested it wasn’t a bad £10,000 worth when Stan Cullis splashed out to bring him to the West Midlands in February, 1951.

He turned 18 at the start of the club’s mammoth end-of-season tour of South Africa in 1951, having made his senior debut in a home game with Portsmouth in the March of that season.

What is staggering considering his later success – namely the winning of three League Championships and an FA Cup – is that the first eight of his matches in the side all ended in defeat.

The run was broken with a 0-0 draw at Sunderland on the final day of 1950-51 and it wasn’t until the following December that he sampled victory for the first time, in the form of a 3-0 home win over Blackpool.

The first of his 145 goals for Wolves came in a derby at Albion and his first major honour followed in 1953-54 – a title-winning campaign in which he scored 12 times in 36 League appearances.

His solitary England under-23 cap came against Italy that season and B team recognition followed before he played seven games for the full national side, starting in 1957-58 and including the World Cup finals in Sweden just after Wolves had been crowned champions for the second time.

Broadbent, who also twice represented the Football League towards the end of the decade, became Wolves’ first scorer in major European competition when he netted both goals in a 2-2 European Cup home draw against Schalke in November, 1958.

He remained a major force well beyond the 3-0 Wembley victory over Blackburn in 1960 and was still going strong in the years of decline that followed the club’s fifth-place finish in 1962-63.

His final first-team outing for Wolves - his 452nd for them in the League – was also Dave Wagstaffe’s debut and came in a 1-0 home defeat against Aston Villa on Boxing Day in 1964.

Reader Paul Collins, from Glasgow, contacted us by way of a reminder of today’s happy event and wrote: “I count it as a great privilege to have watched Peter week in week out during his prime. Some of the things he did stay with you forever – like being a yard away from opponents and sitting them on the floor just by shrugging his shoulders. And hitting raking passes from near enough the right-back area to a left-winger racing mid-way in the opposition half.

“There was one time I remember when there were rumblings in the press and elsewhere that he wasn’t scoring enough goals. As if it mattered! He was laying everything on for others anyway. Five minutes into the next game, the ball is bobbing about just inside the penalty area. I was right at the front of the South Bank. He swung his right foot and I am still surprised that the goal rigging stopped it. He trotted back upfield in his undemonstrative way and you could almost hear the words: ’And you were saying……?’

The tribute in print.....

“Steve Gordos’s book on him is excellent. Long may it be in print.”

Broadbent joined Shrewsbury in January, 1965, and later played for Villa, Stockport and Bromsgrove.

Various other former Wolves players have had milestone birthdays recently. Wagstaffe, Steve Daley and Robbie Dennison turned 70, 60 and 50 respectively last month.

Phil Robinson....helped kick-start Wolves' FA Cup comeback at Wigan.

Springfield Park was at its bleakest and most uninviting…..and Wolves were without the main weapon in their armoury.

It was FA Cup second-round day in 1987-88 and the wind was fair howling down a tumebledown ground in which nearly 2,000 travelling fans were largely exposed to the elements.

The venue was shared that season by Springfield Borough Rugby League Club and, as a result of its over-use, the pitch was shocking. Such was lower-division life a quarter of a century ago.

But there was a spirit of adventure and fun about following Graham Turner’s side to these previously little-visited outposts as they set about making good their escape from the Fourth Division at the second attempt. And we had known worse at Halifax.

Wolves’ opponents on December 5, all of 25 seasons ago, were Wigan - playing at a grade higher and destined to finish seventh in it.

So the home side were very much favourites, especially as Steve Bull – the scorer of a hat-trick at home to Cheltenham in the previous round – was starting a two-match ban following his second sending-off of the season.

In this first ever FA Cup meeting of the clubs, the odds were stacked even more in Wigan’s favour when they led at the interval. But this was a Wolves team with plenty about them.

In front of a crowd of only 5,879, they bounced back to win 3-1 with goals by Phil Robinson, Robbie Dennison and the replacement for the 22-goal Bull, Jackie Gallagher.

The biting cold and rain on one of those floodlights-on-all-game afternoons didn’t seem so bad after all because the victory was confirmation that the renaissance was under-way.

It was Wolves’ second higher-division cup scalp of the season after they had knocked John Barnwell’s Notts County out of the Littlewoods Cup and then won at Manchester City in the first leg at the next stage, only to be eliminated back at Molineux.

Wolves-Wigan combat of the late 1980s.

You wouldn’t have guessed back then that Wigan would EVER win the FA Cup. They were still some eight years pre-Whelan but were emerging as more of a force under the businessman when also paired with Wolves’ in a 1999-2000 FA Cup third-round tie across town that was settled by Carl Robinson’s last-gasp goal.

The hosts were then still in what traditionalists might call the Third Division and playing at the new stadium that would eventually have the initials of their not-so-modest owner in its name. Their rise had begun.

* Wolves’ two League visits to Springfield Park carry significance in the sense of the level the club will be playing at next season. They were already doomed to relegation when they lost 5-3 there in their penultimate Division Three game of 1985-86 but had been crowned champions of the same section when they drew 1-1 in their final match of 1988-89.

Diane and Charlie Bamforth, with Les Wilson (right) and treasured Wolves keepsakes.

Les Wilson and Charles Bamforth have become two of our first readers to use this site to express their sadness at Wolves’ relegation.

The two were together in Vancouver just over a week ago, when California-based Charles presented his host with a treasured keepsake as a token of his gratitude – a carefully compiled cuttings book from the 1960s.

Les contacted us via a long email that kicked off with the phrase: “I write with a heavy heart.” He remembers feeling the despair of relegation in his time at Molineux, although that 1965 demotion came a few months before he made his League debut in England.

And there was a positive response from the club then, with Ronnie Allen’s side returning in style to the top flight two years later and famously emerging triumphant in America in the summer they did so.

Wolves bounced back from the second tier at the first attempt in both 1976-77 and 1982-83, although the immediate drop that followed in 1983-84 was just the start of a long journey in the wrong direction.

Charles remained a Molineux regular through the 1980s and was indeed an entertaining contributor to the club’s programme before work took him to California, from where he made the recent journey across the border into Canada to make acquaintance for the first time with a man we had been able to introduce him to on line several years ago.

“It is, indeed, a terrible day,” he wrote in the wake of the defeat at Brighton. ”I think we should be consoled, though, by the fact that the club went this way once before - and to the Fourth Division. Things were even worse in the eighties – only one side of the ground open, serious decay, bills unpaid. But as the town (now city) motto so rightly says: ‘Out of Darkness Cometh Light.’”

The Bamforths and Wilsons in Vancouver last week - with Scholzey!

Manchester-born Les was particularly thrilled to find one particular photo in the book he was presented with by the Bamforths.

For years, he remembered seeing a picture of himself playing for Wolves at Old Trafford in a First Division game contested in front of more than 50,000 in November, 1968, when he had the task of marking Nobby Stiles. He had also played in the fixture the previous year when the crowd was over 63,000.

“It was wonderful to have so many memories brought back by the articles and photos,” he said. “That was such a special time in my life and it was lovely to have a visit from a Wolves fan who is so knowledgeable – even if we did have to gently ask our wives not to talk football ALL the time!”

Ian Ure, who was making his debut, refuses to let Derek Dougan stray far from him in Wolves' home draw with Manchester United in August, 1969.

In one of our previous Memory Match features, we focused on a televised 3-1 Wolves victory at Old Trafford early in 1972 during a winter in which Bill McGarry’s side were in a rich vein of form and heading towards the UEFA Cup final.

Two seasons before that, when matches were shown in black and white on most sets, Manchester United were the visitors to Molineux for an early-season League fixture that the sides approached in very different moods.

Wolves, once more in black shorts rather than the all gold they had worn for the previous four years or so, had opened their first full campaign under McGarry with four wins out of four and scored 13 goals in the process – a record that left them level on points at the top with Everton and Liverpool.

United, by contrast, had lost their previous three League matches since an opening-day draw at Crystal Palace, and their defeats were all emphatic ones – 2-0 and 4-1 at home to Everton and Southampton respectively and 3-0 in the return at Goodison Park.

So why are we spotlighting a Molineux clash that ended goalless in front of a huge crowd of 50,873?

For no better reason than the Wolves old boys’ network – Paul Walker, to be precise – has been busy in coming up with some highlights of the game.

Thanks to his efforts, we have recently taken delivery of  a 12-minute package from the ITV regional archives, with the late Hugh Johns as commentator, and enjoyed this unexpected slice of nostalgia.

“Someone in London was kind enough to dig out some footage of this game and let me have it,” said Walker, who filled the left-winger role against United in place of the injured Dave Wagstaffe, as he had done in the preceding 3-2 victory at Southampton.

“It’s a lovely keepsake of one of the biggest games I played in. Best, Law and Charlton were all there in United’s side but we seemed to give as good as we got and might well have won it.

“What is obvious from looking at the film, though, is how packed Molineux was that afternoon. It was absolutely heaving and produced a great atmosphere on occasions like that.”

Hugh Johns informs us, in fact, that the gates were shut long before kick-off with many fans still outside, that bit of the commentary being delivered just as a youngster or two underline the point by shuffling back so Peter Knowles can take a corner! And there’s another reminder of those pre-segregation days because one of the fans by the flag is in a United scarf.

All the action from this fixture on August 23, 1969 is from the second half, with Wolves going closest through a Derek Dougan shot that hits the foot of the post and United threatening mainly through a Willie Morgan shot that Derek Parkin clears brilliantly off the line.

A snatch photo off the tele! Wolves defend in depth to keep United out. The no 4 is skipper Mike Bailey and the no 2 is Les Wilson.

Walker, described as a ‘youngster just coming to the surface’ after making his full debut at Newcastle in the last game of the previous season, fires another decent chance wide and there is a familiar glimpse of tantrums.

Although Knowles was to walk away from football just a fortnight later, he appears utterly committed in these clips and even hurls the ball to the ground in disgust when told to take a free-kick further back! Teams:

Wolves: Parkes, Les Wilson, Parkin, Bailey, Holsgrove, Munro, McCalliog, Knowles, Dougan, Curran, Walker.

Manchester United: Stepney, Fitzpatrick, Burns, Crerand, Ure, Sadler, Morgan, Kidd, Charlton, Law (sub Givens), Best.

Richards at Mornington Peninsula with seven-year-old Emma, five-year-old Lydia and two of the other ladies in his life.

John Richards has revealed how he has had a fond recent reunion on the other side of the world with a man who is no doubt sharing Wolves’ current pain.

Wolves Heroes’ co-owner and his wife Pam have not long returned from their latest visit to Australia, where they spent four weeks with eldest daughter Kim and her family in Melbourne.

And it was there that they caught up with one of the club’s most famous supporters, Robert Plant.

“Pam was looking on the Internet one day while we were over there and spotted that Robert was playing in the city with his new band, the Sensational Space Shifters,” Richards said.

“Fortunately, I have a number for him, although it was in my time on the board at Molineux that I got to know him rather than when I was playing and he would appear in the occasional testimonial match.

“I rang him and he said: ‘I’m in Melbourne.’ I said: ‘So are we!’ And, from there, he invited us to the show, which was at the Rod Laver Arena right by the cricket ground, and welcomed us backstage to meet the other band members afterwards.

“They had heard of me, so obviously he shares his love of Wolves with them!”

The Richards had never previously seen the rock legend on stage and were impressed by his appeal so far from home at the age of 64.

The Shifters were on a Southern Hemisphere tour which took in South America and went on to Tasmania and New Zealand after dates on the Aussie mainland. Plant has been back home in America since and has a big date in Chicago in the summer.

“There were over 9,000 there and it was virtually full,” John said. “It surprised us that the concert was attended by fans of all ages……from early 20s to the old rockers who had Robert’s hairstyle and were even older than us!

And he's coming to this country, too......

“We were sat next to two guys who were musicians and who also had tickets backstage. They were thrilled when we said we would introduce them to Robert.

“He wanted to talk Wolves rather than talk music with us, of course. At one point, he spotted a Wolves banner in the crowd and acknowledged that with some banter, which probably went over the head of most of the spectators.

“He is obviously disappointed with what has been happening here but he does have one small comfort…..his keyboard player is a Bristol City supporter.”

The teams in the programme for the postponed Manchester United v Wolves game in February, 1958.

Guards of honour, such as the one planned as a tribute to Manchester United’s title-winning squad at Arsenal tomorrow, may be comparatively rare in today’s cut-throat game.

But there was a time when they were more plentiful and Wolves. as with several of football’s other innovations, were at the vanguard of the movement more than half a century ago.

It is thought, in fact, that the one they were given in 1958 at Old Trafford, no less, was the first gesture of its kind in this country.

United deserved extra gratitude 55 years ago this week for finding the time to salute their conquerors, with Stan Cullis’s side having secured the crown thanks to a 2-0 home win over Preston two days earlier.

There was still a dark shadow across football in the city two and a half months on from the Munich air crash, so Wolves’ players were particularly touched by the show of sportsmanship. And they showed their appreciation in the way they knew best – by running out 4-0 winners!

The hosts’ doffing of caps was a new one on the Express & Star’s Phil Morgan. He wrote in his match report the following night: “With one of the nicest gestures I have seen on a First Division ground, the United, first out, lined either side of the entrance to the dressing room tunnel to form a guard of honour for the new title holders and to lead the applause as they came on to the pitch.”

Noel Dwyer probably blinked harder than most when he emerged into the daylight. He had been on the golf course at lunchtime when summoned north in a hurry as Malcolm Finlayson was taken ill around midday.

The Dubliner had made his debut only earlier that season in a 3-2 win at Aston Villa and the victory at United was the first clean sheet he had kept in the senior team, at the fifth attempt.

The game at Old Trafford, which was famously rearranged due to having originally been scheduled for two days after the Munich disaster, had another slice of rarity value to it – the taking of a penalty by Peter Broadbent.

Regular taker Eddie Clamp, who would shortly depart with Bill Slater, Broadbent and skipper Billy Wright to the World Cup finals, was limping at the time after a knock on the foot. Broadbent safely converted to complete the scoring after Clamp had netted earlier to take his goal tally for the season to ten.

Eddie Clamp - among the scorers after Wolves' players had been feted at Old Trafford.

The guard of honour was not a one-off. Twelve months later, Leicester’s players did the same at Molineux to mark the winning of a third title in six years by Cullis’s men.

That moment, which put broad smiles across the faces of Wright and Finlayson, is one of countless that is stirringly captured in the well-received 2012 coffee table book, When Football Was Football: Wolves.

An entire double-page spread is devoted to the entry of the heroic players through the applauding blue line, the previous two pages being given over to a dramatic picture from the title-winning victory over Luton shortly before.