LONDON®
WOLVES
founded 1966

Contact WWLSC: Chairman
Tickets & Travel     Webmaster

Player Profiles
Find us on facebook
WWLSC Mobile Web Site
twitter

Hughie McIlmoyle David Wagstaffe Terry Wharton Fred Davies Frank Munro Mike Bailey Willy Carr   Bobby Thomson John Holsgrove Norm Deeley d2007

Hughie McIlmoyle

Hughie played 105 times for Wolves scoring 45 goals before leaving for Ashton Gate just as the Doog joined Wolves but had contributed 13 goals to the promotion campaign before his departure.  Hugh is a special Carlisle hero having played for them three times.   His first goal for us came against Blackburn in January 1965 after joining for £30,000 in October 1964.

 

David Wagstaffe

”Waggy” was one of Wolves’ fans all time favourites.  A very quick and exciting left winger (“outside left”) who could put pinpoint crosses into the box and help the forwards get their goals during the 60s and 70s.  Dave played 404 matches for the Wolves and scored 32 goals, including some memorable cut ins from the left wing.

Waggy moved to Blackburn in 1976 and retired while at Blackpool three years later.

He returned to Moli to run Waggy’s Bar.

 

Terry Wharton

Terry Wharton was the right winger with Waggy, and a product of Wolves’ youth policy.  Joining at 15, he made his debut in November 1959 - scoring in a 2-0 win over Ipswich and stayed in the side for 6 years, making 242 appearances and scoring 79 goals including penalties.  The two wingers were key to Wolves promotion to the first division in 1966-7.  In November 1967 Terry transferred to Bolton, then the Palace in 1971 before moving to South Africa.  Terry continued in football non-league management after retiring in 1974

 

Fred Davies

Fred was the Wolves goalkeeper during the 66-67 promotion season.  He joined in 1957 aged 18 but had to wait 5 years before making his debut - an FA Cup Tie against the Baggies.  The next week he made his league debut against Spurs in front of 46,000.  Fred played over 170 times for the Wolves before joining Cardiff in 1968.  His next club was Bournemouth where he starred in the Cherries promotion season in 1970.   Fred had a distinguished coaching career after retiring leading Shrewsbury to promotion in 1994 (having signed Wayne Clarke).

 

Frank Munro

Frank has been a regular participant in London Wolves events, unwittingly helping a member into the Millennium Stadium for the play off final!  A tough tackling defender in his day, he has fought ill health since a storke in 1993.

Frank joined Wolves in our first season back in the top flight in 1968 from Aberdeen after scoring against us in a pre-season tour and went on to play 376 times for the Wolves scoring 19 goals, before moving to Celtic in 1977 after a brief loan spell.  Frank was a stalwart of the side which won promotion back to the first division in 1977 and won 9 Scottish International caps while at Molineux.  Frank is pictured with Wolves manager Ronnie Allen.

Mike Bailey

Mike took over the captaincy of Wolves from Ron Flowers.  Both in fact played in the first match I saw at the Moli - a 1-1 draw against the Saints just after Mike arrived on March 4th and Mike’s home league debut. Ernie Hunt was our goalscorer. Mike went on to captain us in the League Cup final victory in 1974.  In the promotion year Mike was voted Midlands Footballer of the year.  He joined us from Charlton  for a £40,000 fee.  Mike played 436 times for us, scoring 25 goals, but preventing hundreds!  The cartoon from the Pink showed how the Mike Bailey “Power Unit” was regarded for those 436 appearances.

Mike’s testimonial was in 1976 against the Baggies just before he left in January 1977.  He went to the USA but returned and managed and coached non-league sides as well as Charlton, Brighton & Hove Albion and Portsmouth

Willie Carr

Well, Willie and Ernie Hunt will live for ever for “that free kick” - when playing for Coventry in November 1970 when Willie stood over the ball and flicked it up for Ernie to volley into the net.   (The FA later ruled it was not legal since the ball didn’t travel though it’s own circumference (except upwards!). 

Willie joined the Wolves in March 1975, albeit after a big debate over a failed medical,  for what would have been a record fee  but which was cut from “245,000 to £80,000. Willie was always a crowd favourite and a friend of London Wolves.  He played 289 times over the next seven years, scoring 26 goals. He won six Scottish caps, as well as a League Cup medal in 1980. Willie moved on in 1982 to Millwall and then non-league before retiring in 1988

Picture of Willie removed as copyright claimed by Associated Sports Photography.

Bobby Thomson

Locally born (Smethwick) Bobby Thomson was a product of the youth system, joining at 15, and played 299 games for the Wolves (+1 sub) and was reknowned as a very fast left back.  He made his debut in a 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round defeat at home to West Brom in front of 46,411 fans at Molineux. He soon established himself as a first-team regular and developed into a international layer, gaining eight full caps for England before he was 22. He also appeared for the England Under-23s and the Football League, and he helped Wolves win promotion to the 1st Division in 1966-67. But in March 1969  he joined Birmingham City for £40,000. After making 68 league appearances for the Blues, where he also had a spell on loan with Walsall, he joined Luton Town before ending his league career with Port Vale. He then dropped into non-league football as a player-manager of Stafford Rangers before leaving to run a sports shop in Sedgley.

 

John Holsgrove

John Holsgrove joined the Wolves in 1965 from Crystal Palace for £18,000 (on Ronnie Allen’s recommendation - Ronnie was to come to Wolves the following year himself).  He quickly established himself but suffered injury for the start of the 66-67 season.  By January he was back and played 97 consecutive matches a total of 202 altogether and scored 7 goals before transferring to Sheffield Wednesday in 1969 after  John McAlle’s arrival.

Here’s a match report from the Pompey site about one of his goals

1965: WOLVES 8 POMPEY 2
POMPEY conceded eight goals for the first time since pre-war days before 17,199 in a second-division match at Molineux.  Bobby Woodruff headed past John Milkins after two minutes and Dave Wagstaffe made it 2-0 five minutes later.  A lob from Hugh McIlmoyle sailed over everybody into the net and Wolves went 4-0 ahead on 21 minutes when Ron Flowers scored with a terrific drive.
Woodruff's harmless shot spun out of Milkins' hands and over the line and John Holsgrove gave Wolves a 6-0 half-time lead, leaving the Pompey players a touch dejected going into the dressing room.  It got little better after the break, either, as Holsgrove met Wharton's corner for goal number seven before Pompey pulled one back through a Les Wilson own goal. Ray Hiron grabbed Pompey's second on 75 minutes but McIlmoyle completed Wolves' goal-fest with a header in the last minute.

Graham Hawkins

Graham was another local lad who joined as an apprentice in 1961 and turned pro in 1963.  He made his full debut against the Baggies in October 1964.  A central defender, with strong competition, Graham couldn’t command a first team regular place and transferred to Preston North End in 1967 and then went to Blackburn for 4 years where he was a major contributor to their promotion, before becoming Port Vale’s player manager.  He had a spell as assistant manager at Shrewsbury before being brought back by the Doog (then CEO) to the Molineux as Wolves manager on 1st August 1982, and took Wolves backinto the 1st Division (for the last time until the 2003 Millennium playoff final... 19 years 322 days later).  His star strikers were Andy Gray, Mel Eves and Wayne Clarke.  Unfortunately we then had our worst season ever in the top flight losing 25 matches, winning only 6, and were relegated.  He moved to the middle east and was about to manage Kuwait when Saddam Hussein invaded.  Graham made 29+6 appearances for the Wolves and then,as manager, his record was played 88 won 26,drew 27, but lost 35 with 100 goals scored in those 88 matches.  An article and interview with Graham appears here http://archive.thisislancashire.co.uk/1999/2/16/781403.html

 

Norm Deeley

Norm ends up in the next as McGrath own goal goes in Norm was capped twice by England but most Wolves fans will always remember him for the two goals he scored in the 1960 Cup Final and for the pressure he put on the Blackburn defence for the first, an own goal.  He recounts his experiences in the Match of My Life (Wolves) (info here).  It was in a tackle with Norm that Dave Whelan (now owner of Wigan Athletic) broke his leg.  At the time Whelan said it was a no fault tackle but changed his story a couple of years ago, provoking a protest from Wolves fans.

Norm was found dead at his home in Wednesbury and will be sadly missed by all at Wolves.  This was previously his mother’s house - a somewhat different lifestyle than current players!

Norman made 237 appearances for Wolves and scored 75 goals  over a 12 year stay at Molineux. He was also part of the Wolves team that won back to back titles in 1957/58 and 1958/59. 

He made 2 appearances for his country against Brazil and Peru. He moved from Wolves to Leyton Orient before moving into non league football.

Jez Moxey told the club's official website: "The club is very sad to hear this news. "Norman served Wolves for more than 12 years and was part of a team that enjoyed great success in the 50s. "We send our deepest condolences to his friends and family." Deeley, who signed professionally at Wolves in 1950, was converted to the wing from a striker by former manager Stan Cullis and went on to win successive league titles in 1958 and 1959 and an FA Cup-winner's medal the following year when Wolves beat Blackburn 3-0

Norman Deeley R.I.P - 1934-2007  You can see his goals in that cup final by clicking here

 

 

You are respectfully reminded that all content on this website is subject to copyright and Wolverhampton Wanderers London Supporters' Club ("London Wolves") official website must be acknowledged as the original source.  Please contact the webmaster for permissions to use any content at webmaster@londonwolves.com   All materials/designs on the website are © WWLSC. “London Wolves® is a registered Trade Mark..  London Wolves Ltd is registered in England No: 05329824 Registered Office: 21 Walton Road Great Cressingham Thetford Norfolk IP25 6NQ

Wolfie - punch-up winner