The former defender is the Scrap Book feature in Thursday’s edition for the Europa League clash with Slovan Bratislava, as Wolves continue their own modern-day Europa League journey.
Below are extracts from McAlle’s story, with the full version in the £5, A4 programme available on Thursday night.
FIRST GOAL
I shouldn’t talk about goals because the lads take the mickey out of me something rotten. My first goal was against Manchester City in a League Cup game. It was the North Bank end and it just hit my knee and went in. After that I scored against Academica de Coimbra in the UEFA Cup, home and away, so in the statistic books it shows John McAlle scored two in Europe which I’m quite happy about.
BEST GAME
The League Cup final at Wembley was, I suppose, one of the best games I ever played and one of the best games the team ever played. We were up for it, we were the underdogs, but were focused and it was a great day.
WORST GAME
That was against Porto in the UEFA Cup. It was the year after we reached the final. We got beat 4-1 in Portugal and every goal was my fault. I couldn’t do anything right, it was unbelievable. For the first one, Derek Parkin had the ball at full-back, I was further up the field, and someone was closing him down, so he passed it to me and went to knock it back to Phil Parkes with my weaker right foot, and I chipped him. It was a great goal, just in the wrong end. It’s a good job I only had a few games like that.
EUROPEAN JOURNEY
The best games were the European games, they were fabulous. We’d go away from home and we’d play Juventus, a few days before we would go over to Italy and we really enjoyed each other’s company and were a really good side. Those games against the European teams were something else, I really did enjoy them. The team played so well, then we got Tottenham in the final and it didn’t feel like a European game. We should have beaten them at home, but that’s the way it is.
The matchday programme is available from around Molineux on Thursday and previous editions can be purchased now here.
