“I mean, people thought it was a long time between the FA Cup in 1960 and us first winning the League Cup in ’74! All photographs are the copyright © of George Herringshaw & W olves fans have been saying they need a striker. It remains unthinkable that Richards may not actually have even become a footballer in the first place, plans to enrol at Teacher Training College in Chester only curtailed when Wolves spotted him in a representative fixture for England Schools. But perhaps now, and only now, has returned the tantalising prospect of Wolves being right back at the top table of English football and daring to dream of once again lifting one of the biggest trophies of them all. “For me now, that is the challenge ahead for these Wolves lads, and their potential to enjoy success. A young Paul Berry collecting John Richards' autograph in the 1970'sWolves captain Emlyn Hughes raises League Cup trophy You have to be of a certain age to even remember that far back!

John Richards, Former Wolves striker. “And I think that is great, because it brings us back into focus, it almost brings us back to life. Richards, John I worked with John at the Sub-Head Office of the Provident Mutual Assurance Association from 1957 until about 1968.

“We had that spirit, and while I wouldn’t say we were all pals who went out and socialised together, when we were training and playing, we were very much a team.” Back then to the final, and, even before Gray had profited from the mix-up between Peter Shilton and David Needham midway through the second half, Richards felt he had opened the scoring, after Shilton mistimed a jump for the ball which ended up crossing the line.

“When I look back at that team, and that game, we were so difficult to beat. “We’d only have about 15 or 16 players in the first team squad – a bit like the Nuno approach now – and it kept it all compact and tight, which helped that togetherness. “You don’t want to be remembered for semi-finals or qualifying for the Champions League, you want to get that winners’ medal like we had League Cup tankards back in ’74 and ’80. That Hawthorns debut followed, as did plenty of learning behind the scenes, before the 1971/72 season and the UEFA Cup run, and then the 72/73 when Richards finished as the top scorer in England in all competitions, saw him burst to the fore.

“Andy Gray used to get wound up a bit, George Berry as well, but sometimes you did it deliberately just to wind them up! – but now it is about comparing the likes of Jimenez, Jota and Neves to our team and our players. “If Robertson got past Peter, he wasn’t going to get past Geoff, and if he did get past Geoff, there was Peter again. “But to think it would be this long before Wolves were seriously challenging for a major trophy – I would never have thought that. We have barriers in place and a waiting area for you to stand to be served, hand sanitizer is also available for your benefit. “They need to make their place in the history of the club, and have those same sort of memories that we had - and the supporters had - all those years ago.” Browse the businesses in your area and find what is perfect for you.If you are searching for a job around your local area, use our online system. “When we were playing it was all about comparing us to the team from the Fifties – which we came nowhere near to!

“As good as we were in those years in the early Seventies, we did wonder if we were actually going to win anything,” says Richards. The solitary England cap secured during this time should have been added to by many more, but at least club honours followed, with the two League Cups a fitting tribute to the Molineux decade. On this day in 1980, Atomic by ‘Blondie’ was occupying top spot in the music charts, Margaret Thatcher was serving Prime Minister, a pint of milk cost 17p and beer 35p and Kristin Shepard was plotting to take a shot at JR Ewing on Dallas. “They won it for us in the last 20 minutes no doubt about that, as Forest pushed for an equaliser, but up until then we had given as good as we got. “That is how I feel about this Wolves team – they deserve to win something because they are that good. It even feels like it should be the anniversary of the old photograph I have retrieved whilst asking for an autograph outside the Waterloo Road Stand far too long ago to remember!

“If they can compete as they have done with Liverpool, who are the European Champions, and Manchester City, Manchester United, you have to feel that they have got a chance.