Ringing In The New Decades – And Largely In Winning Style

To mark the fact that today is a major landmark occasion, we spotlight the last ten start-of-decade games in Wolves’ history.

And what an oddity….. amid some excellent results, you will notice that all of those spotlighted below (League fixtures unless otherwise stated) are away matches.

January 3, 2010, Tranmere 0 Wolves 1 (FA Cup): Mick McCarthy was overseeing a season of comfortable Premier League survival at the time of Matt Jarvis popping up late on to settle this challenging assignment against Wolves’ third-grade hosts.

January 3, 2000, Blackburn 1 Wolves 1: Colin Lee’s side took the lead through a spectacular first-half finish from Lee Naylor and then survived Kevin Muscat’s red card around the hour mark to secure a useful point at the start of the new Millennium.

January 1, 1990, Newcastle 1 Wolves 4: How could we ever forget this dream day out? It was the ultimate in thrilling new dawns as Steve Bull’s epic four second-half goals handsomely rewarded the adventure of the club’s airborne fans.

January 5, 1980, Notts County 1 Wolves 3 (FA Cup): George Berry opened the scoring as John Barnwell’s side preceded their League Cup glory in some comfort against Division Two opponents by showing that their fine work wasn’t restricted to one knockout competition.

January 3, 1970, Burnley 3 Wolves 0 (FA Cup): A resounding exit for a side who welcomed back Derek Dougan following his famous eight-week suspension. As eye-opening as this result was the way Bill McGarry’s men returned to Turf Moor the following Saturday to win 3-1 in the League.

January 2, 1960, Arsenal 4 Wolves 4: Some game this! Goals rained in at Highbury from Eddie Clamp, Bobby Mason, Jimmy Murray and Des Horne but were still only good enough for a point. Wolves went agonisingly close four months later to recording the 20th century’s first League and FA Cup double.

January 7, 1950, Plymouth 1 Wolves 1 (FA Cup): A Sammy Smyth goal at faraway Home Park earned the reigning FA Cup holders a Molineux replay which went very much true to form against struggling Division Two opposition.

January 1, 1930, Charlton 2 Wolves 0: No joy whatsoever at The Valley for a Major Buckley side who would finish a very ordinary ninth in that season’s Second Division.

January 1, 1910, South Shields 0 Wolves 0: Yes, believe or or not, this was a League fixture. The Tyneside club were among more famous names in Division Two, which Wolves were making particularly heavy weather of at the time.

January 1, 1900, Sunderland 1 Wolves 2: Jack Addenbrooke’s men marked the first day of a new Millennium with three points on their visit to a north-east venue that, unlike South Shields, certainly has remained well known down the decades.