Star Names Go Up In Wath Lights

Two men discovered by legendary Wolves scout Mark Crook have been honoured at the old base of his operation.

The names of Ron Flowers and Bob Hatton now adorn the dressing rooms at Brampton United FC, the current residents of Cortonwood Miners’ Welfare, where Crook’s Wath Wanderers/Wolves Juniors team played.

The weekend ceremony was the second instalment in a year of tribute to Crook, who discovered a remarkable 114 players who subsequently turned professional – on many of whom Wolves had first refusal through the pioneering relationship they shared.

The first date, in late May, was the fitting and unveiling of a blue plaque outside of the ground and the third will be the release of a book about Crook’s devotion to and accomplishments for Wolves.

Hatton attended the event with his grandson, Thomas, before going on to be a guest of Tony Currie’s at the Sheffield United v Charlton game and said: “It pulled at the old heartstrings. It makes you think of all the good times we had here.

“They were also hard times because you were striving to make it but Mark was always encouraging you and giving you hints and tips about the game. You were tapping into his experience, really.”

Hull-born Hatton had Flowers as a colleague and inspiration when he broke into Wolves’ first team in 1966 and went on to serve eight other League clubs, most notably Birmingham, in his outstanding goal-scoring career.

“I was a bit of a rolling stone, moving around from club to club, which suited me,” he added. “Everybody’s different.”

The Flowers family were represented at Saturday’s event by Ron’s sister, Jean, brother John, who was a pro footballer with Stoke and Doncaster, and his sister-in-law, Mary.

“The dressing rooms have changed since I was here last!” John said. “Ron would have thought it was wonderful to have a dressing room named after him.”

Jean added: “He would have been so proud and in his element. It is an honour for us to be here to see it and do this in his memory. Nobody has forgotten him and it’s a proud day for the Flowers family.”

The author of the forthcoming Feeding The Wolves book that we have written about on this site more than once, the Barnsley Chronicle’s Ashley Ball, had the tough choice of selecting 11 players for each dressing room. Here are the ‘teams’ he came up with, based on what they went on to achieve in the game at Wolves or elsewhere.

Ron Flowers dressing room XI: Ron FLOWERS, Jim BARRON, John ‘Jack’ SHORT, Cyril KNOWLES, Terry COOPER, Alan SUNDERLAND, John FLOWERS, Steve DALEY, George ROBLEDO, Roy SWINBOURNE, Peter KNOWLES.

Bob Hatton dressing room XI: Bob HATTON, Jeff WEALANDS, Ken KNIGHTON, Gerry TAYLOR, Billy GRAY, Kevin McHALE, Barry STOBART, John GALLEY, Danny WILLIAMS, Martin PATCHING, Keith BURKINSHAW.

There is now a poster above each peg showing one of Crook’s stars and their career highlights in an effort to inspire the next generation.

Ashley, who is also from Wath, said: “When the idea came to rename the dressing rooms, it was glaringly obvious that Ron should have one of them. And when we thought about it further, Bob was the leading contender for the other one.

“Ron’s story was obviously filled with glory achieved through playing for Wolves and England and he played a huge role in building Mark’s own reputation. Bob’s story was less romantic but he had a fine career and out of the 114 professional footballers that came through Crook’s system, he made the most appearances (729, with more than 250 goals).

“He was also a popular figure wherever he played. Bob had to work hard to get into football and Mark kept working with he and Gerry Taylor, who joined him on their long trips over from Hull, to ensure that there was no slacking.

“We know Mark had a real soft spot for Bob and kept in touch with him throughout his career.”

Also present at the unveiling was Ken Short, the son of Wolves’ 1953-54 League title winner John Short, and Jane and Sam Whitlam, Mark’s granddaughter and great-grandson.

Feeding The Wolves will contain more than 50 interviews and is out2 later this year. The pre-order early-bird price (until September 30) is £12 and fans can either pre-order their copy at Ron Flowers’s sports shop in Queen Street, Wolverhampton or online through https://dondearneschoolfootball.wordpress.com/mark-crooks-wath-wolves/

The book’s foreword has been penned by former Wolves manager Mick McCarthy, who is from just down the road in Barnsley.

Ashley added: “I hope it is going to appeal to all football fans but particularly Wolves supporters as Mark was devoted to the club and provided an incredible 39 players who played for their first team.

“The book will also have a rundown of the other players Wolves could have had and the full breakdown of how Crook operated what became a quality production line of terrific players on behalf of Wolves.”

All profits from the publication will be shared between Brampton United and The Wolves Foundation.