Sir Jack Hayward tells Wolves fans to keep the faith

The multi-millionaire life club president celebrated the memorable milestone at home in the Bahamas with an RAF-themed party of 100 guests at the Sir Charles Hayward Yacht Club named after his father.

But thoughts of his beloved Wolves and home city are never far away.

And, as he raised a glass today, he had a defiant message which will tug at the heartstrings of every Wolves supporter, urging them to remember that following the club is a lifelong devotion.

"All the best to Wolves, and all the best for Wolverhampton," he said. "I have so many fond memories of the place. My message to people is this: Wolves are not just for one season; Wolves are forever."

Left as miserable as any fan at the events of the last 18 months, Sir Jack doesn't want to dwell on Wolves' current predicament – languishing in the third tier of English football – somewhere they were never seriously close to sinking to during his 17 years of ownership from 1990-2007.

It's a long way from the pinnacle of his stewardship, the glorious day at the Millennium Stadium a decade ago when Wolves won promotion to the Premier League for the first time to end a 19-year absence from the top flight.

Season ticket sales, although they now top 10,000, are down to a low not experienced since Sir Jack's early days at the helm when Molineux was crumbling before his £20m rebuild gave rise to the Golden Palace in the early 1990s.

Meanwhile, the club have addressed the swirling speculation suggesting Karl Henry is set to join Leicester or Ipswich and that Wolves have joined Sheffield Wednesday in being interested in Swansea striker Leroy Lita.

Wolves haven't received any contact from either Championship club regarding Henry, and they haven't made any calls for Lita, who once saw a move to Molineux turn sour under former boss Mick McCarthy.