The May Edition of Wolves' History
29th May 1988: Wolves win Sherpa Van Trophy
In the same season they were crowned Fourth Division champions, Wolves won the Sherpa Van Trophy following a 2-0 win against Burnley at in front of over 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. En route to the final, Wolves overcame sides such as Brentford, Peterborough, and Notts County. Andy Mutch and Robbie Dennison were on the scoresheet on the day for Wolves and helped them to their first piece of silverware in eight years.
Interestingly, with the win in the Fourth Division in the 1987/1988 season and the win in the Third Division in the following season, Wolves became the only English side to win every league title. This is a record that remains to this day (2023) with Huddersfield being the closest to challenging this record – missing only the Third Division title.
7th May 1960: Wolves win their fourth FA Cup
On the 7th of May 1960, Wolves won the FA Cup for the fourth time, beating Blackburn Rovers 3-0 in front of over 98,000 fans at Wembley stadium. To make it to the final, Wolves had to beat teams including Aston Villa and Newcastle United in a season that also had European commitments, with Wolves making it to the quarter final stage of the European Cup. The club also won the FA Charity Shield at the start of the season following a 3-1 win against Nottingham Forest.
17th May 1972: Wolves make it to the final of the UEFA Cup
Following a 2-1 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on the 17th of May, Wolves drew 1-1 at White Hart Lane in the second leg of the 1972 UEFA Cup final. This meant Wolves came up just short of winning the competition, losing 3-2 on aggregate. This is the furthest Wolves have made it in a European competition (as of 2023).
May 1990: Sir Jack Hayward buys Wolves
Following the ruin the club experienced during the 1980s local businessman Sir Jack Hayward purchased the club for a fee close to £2.1 million and aimed to restore the club to its former glory, with the ambition of being present in, and competing for, success in England’s top flight. During his ownership, Sir Jack would invest over £70 million into the club, renovating the stadium and revamping the squad. Sir Jack was rewarded for his investment as Wolves were promoted to the Premier League after a playoff win in the 2002/2003 season.
3rd May 2014: Kenny Jacket's Wolves set League One record point total
After thirty-one wins and eighty-nine goals, Wolves manager Kenny Jacket led Wolves to promotion to the championship after the club experienced back-to-back relegations in the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 seasons. In doing so, Wolves set the record for the number of points won in a League One campaign of 103 points. Notable results in the season included a 6-4 victory against Rotherham United in a ten-goal thriller at Molineux on the 18th of April, and a 3-0 away win against second placed Brentford on the 22nd of February.
- Louis Sharma
