Olympic stars centre stage at Molineux
It was a homecoming they will never forget and tops off what has already been a remarkable year.
Olympic and Paralympic stars from the Midlands got the chance to walk out onto the hallowed turf at Molineux during half-time in the victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
The Team GB group included bronze medal gymnast and Wolves fan Kristian Thomas, six-time Olympic archer Alison Williamson MBE from Stafford and Dudley water polo star Alex Parsonage.
Former St Edmund's Catholic School pupil Kristian, 23, said it was a "fantastic feeling" walking out in front of thousands of fans at half-time.
"It was a lot louder than I thought it would be," he said. "I'd never been out on the pitch before.
"I've supported Wolves since I was a kid and used to come to see them play. I don't get to come down as much because of all my training."
He said some of his friends were in the crowd, but they had joked with him that they would be getting a pie at half-time rather than cheering him on.
Alison, 40, who picked up a bronze in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, said: "It was really great walking out onto the pitch. The pitch looks a lot bigger when you walk out onto it than it does when you are sitting in the stands. The Wolves fan were great. They were so loud."
It was the first time she had been back to Molineux in 16 years since going to see Wolves play Tottenham in the FA Cup in 1996.
Other Olympians welcomed on the pitch were judo star Gemma Howell from Telford, modern pentathlon's Nick Woodbridge from Wellington, sprinter Luke Lennon-Ford from Sutton Coldfield and synchronised swimmer Yvette Baker from Sutton Coldfield.
From the Paralympic Games were target shooting competitor Ryan Cockbill from Great Barr, and Katrina Hart from Redditch, who competed in the athletics.
