Wolves issue apology over 'fooligan' advert gaffe

The club today apologised after it mistakenly used 'fooligan' Paul Gregory's image to promote its restaurant and corporate hospitality, despite him serving a three-year ban from attending matches.

Gregory's picture, taken at a Wolves match alongside two children, appeared in the Wolverhampton West Magazine's April/May issue, distributed free to 24,500 homes and advertising Sir Jack's Restaurant and the Hayward Suite for Father's Day.

Last November the 32-year-old, of Auden Court, Perton, was convicted of a public order offence of using threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear of or provoke unlawful violence, for shouting at rival fans while walking down the middle of a road with his arms outstretched.

The incident happened after Wolves Johnstone's Paint Trophy clash with Walsall at Molineux on September 3.

Wolverhampton Magistrates Court banned Gregory from attending any regulated matches for three years and told he would have to hand his passport to police during certain overseas games. He was also made to pay £200 costs, a £60 victim surcharge and was put under supervision for 12 months.

And four years earlier he had been dubbed a 'fooligan' after trying to hide behind a woolly balaclava when an Express & Star photographer was taking his picture. In 2009 Gregory was found to have broken a court order banning him from following Wolves to games when he was caught in Darlaston during a pre-season friendly against Walsall.

Gregory had worn a balaclava outside Walsall Magistrates Court but removed it too soon, allowing an E&S photographer to get his picture.

Matt Grayson, spokesman for Wolves said: "We apologise for any offence caused. We take thousands of pictures every year and it's then a challenge to review these images based on who has subsequently been subject to a banning order or a similar offence. However, we will be reviewing the process in light of this." Wolverhampton West Magazine declined to comment.