Graham Turner was the brains behind the operation, with Steve Bull and Andy Mutch combining for the all-important first goal at Wembley, as Wolves beat Burnley at the national stadium.
THE BUILD-UP
GT: I remember it really vividly, like it was yesterday. We’d taken the team away beforehand so they couldn’t have been in better condition going into the game and the match itself turned out like clockwork. We’d played Everton at Wembley previously and that stood us in good stead because we’d been there before and were used to the environment.
AM: We went to have a chill out with the lads, to prepare for what was ahead of us. It was an exciting occasion for everyone involved, my family and the supporters so everyone was a winner. We had no edges to us, we all had the same attitude and wanted to make a good impression of ourselves.
SB: There was an anticipation. We’d been away to Santa Ponsa a week before because the Gaffer gave us a break. We worked hard and played hard, but when we got back we only had a couple of days before the final. You wake up in the morning and are thinking about how many fans are coming down. Since I’d been at the club they’d gone from 2,500 fans to 50,000 so it was bit nervy.
THE BACKGROUND
GT: The club had had a tough couple of years and the fans will have despaired that a club of that size was competing in the old Fourth Division, with the stadium being in such a bad way, it’d been neglected.
AM: If there’s no fans, there’s no club. When I speak to supporters, they’ll never forget that resurgence. It was a phoenix from the flames story and all the supporters appreciated it after what had gone on in the past. It was exciting for everyone involved, more so the supporters because they’re there forever. We got fantastic support which added to the excitement of the occasion.
SB: On the coach was when the nerves kicked in. I saw the parade the other week and the last time I’d seen something like that was at Wembley for the Sherpa Van. I’d not played in front of those numbers and when you saw the gold and black it was brilliant.
THE GAME
GT: It was a huge honour to lead my team out at Wembley and win the trophy because it was the club I supported as a youngster. Robbie’s set piece expertise were once again crucial and it was roles reversed with Bully playing in Andy for the other goal. We’d hit the bar too so it was a thoroughly deserved win.
AM: It was brilliant. If I’m honest, the occasion maybe takes over a bit. You don’t think too much about scoring at Wembley, you’re there to play the match and you’re worried about not winning. Anybody could have scored on the day, it just happened to be me and Robbie D. That’ll be forever in my memory, I’ll always be privileged that I had the opportunity and took it.
THE OCCASION
GT: The fans turned out in their numbers that day and were unbelievable. Winning at Wembley is a massive achievement and can lift a club, no matter the competition. I know it was the Sherpa Van, but it could have been the European Cup, it meant that much to us.
AM: There was near 50,000 Wolves supporters there and even Premier League clubs would struggle to take that figure. Supporters were everywhere and it’s great we were able to celebrate with a few lemonades back at the hotel afterwards.
SB: The only time you take it in is when someone gets injured and you have 30 seconds to have a look around. As a player you’re like a horse, you put your blinkers on. I loved the day, it was brilliant for the fans because it put Wolves back on the map.
BIGGER PICTURE
GT: I think it was huge, winning at Wembley certainly played a massive role in the rebuilding job. It’s the best moment of my time in football. It was my hometown club and was vital in the revival of the club. It’s still spoken about to this day and I love going back to the former player events to discuss it and bring all the memories back.
AM: It was certainly part of the rejuvenation, saying that I don’t think it impacted on us the following season because I fancied us to skip the league the next season anyway. I knew the type of team we were and fortunately we did the business.
