Review: Memories strong for Sir Jack's boys as playoff triumph remembered
The memories of a magic day for Wolves in Cardiff are still fresh for the major players from the day, writes James Vukmirovic.
It may be nearly 20 years since Wolves won 3-0 against Sheffield United in the Division One Playoff final at the Millennium Stadium, but for Kenny Miller, Mark Kennedy, Nathan Blake and Matt Murray, it feels like it only happened a week ago.
The four players who made the most impact on that day in Cardiff were at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre to tell their stories of the 2002/03 season and what winning promotion meant to them as part of “Sir Jack’s History Boys”
Hosted by Express and Star columnist, Sky Sports presenter and Wolves fan Johnny Phillips, the evening was a celebration of a great moment in the history of Wolves when, after 19 years of relegations, heartbreak and near-misses, the club finally returned to the top flight of English Football.
Kennedy, Blake and Miller scored the goals that gave Wolves a three-goal lead at half-time, while Matt Murray made several important saves, including a penalty save from Michael Brown to keep the score at 3-0, as part of a man of the match performance.
The evening started with a video of the game, with all three goals celebrated by the fans in attendance as if it was happening in real time, and a chat about the memories of the game and the build-up.
Matt Murray, who was the reserve goalkeeper at the start of the season, but got a chance after Michael Oakes suffered an injury, spoke about his struggles to get to the starting line-up and the nerves he felt on the day of the final, as well as how the team helped him prepare for penalties with lots of practice beforehand.
For Mark Kennedy, scoring the first goal marked one of the top moments of a career that had seen him play in the Premier League for Liverpool, Wimbledon and Manchester City, as well as represent Ireland, while Nathan Blake remembered feeling overjoyed to score a goal in his home country and national stadium.
Mark Kennedy also admitted that at half-time, he’d actually prayed for things to go well in the second half, while Nathan Blake spoke about the coach turning onto Westgate Street in Cardiff and being met by a sea of black and gold, with even experienced players like Paul Ince and Denis Irwin being overawed by it.
Kenny Miller, who made it 3-0, was in good form, speaking about how Wolves was a club still very close to his heart 17 years after leaving and the goal had been a personal highlight, as well as still being amazed at how well the training facilities had improved at the club, remembering having to change at a tennis club, then in portacabins previously.
All four also spoke of their pride at seeing Wolves staying in the Premier League and becoming an established part of the top flight and all seemed very fond of their times at the club, praising the fans for their loyal support and saying that they made the difference on the day of the playoff final.
Johnny Phillips provided a stream of questions that kept the conversation going, with the conversation going from how each player had got to the club to the somewhat bittersweet memories of the Premier League season, where the club was relegated, bottom of the league, but with a 1-0 win against Manchester United to their memory.
That was the only downer on the evening, however, with funny stories about Paul Gascoigne training at the club and getting locked in the tennis club, a fight between Kenny Miller and Paul Butler following a League Cup win at Swansea when Kenny Miller admitted to saying something that annoyed the Wolves captain, and Matt Murray dispelling the myth of himself and Joleon Lescott missing the Premier League season due to gangsters.
It was also lovely to see how much the four players still enjoyed each other’s company all these years later, with plenty of in-jokes and banter between the four throughout the show.
When Wolves won the playoff final, it marked the end of 19 years, 13 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes since Wolves were relegated from Division One in 1984.
The memories of a day 19 years, 11 months and 27 days ago still stir the emotions of those who were there, those who played in the game and those who cherish the win all this time later.
