Thousands pack Wolverhampton city centre to bid farewell to Sir Jack Hayward

Queen Square was packed as hundreds of fans gathered to watch a live feed of the Wolves' saviour's funeral on a big screen.

Inside St Peter's Collegiate Church, 650 mourners joined the 91-year-old's friends and family and a clutch of Wolves legends. Around 250 fans were also inside after a ballot.

Molineux was open from 9am today with fans able to go into the museum to pay their respects.

At 12.30pm the Billy Wright stand was opened where around 500 fans gathered to see the funeral cortège before it set off to St Peter's Collegiate Church for the funeral.

There was a military flypast from 671 Squadron Army Air Corps with a Lynx and a Gazelle helicopter flying over Molineux to mark the start of Sir Jack's final journey at 1.30pm.

Hundreds lined Waterloo Road as the black Jaguar hearse, followed by six limousines, made its way from the stadium, along Sir Jack Hayward Way, toward the city centre.

After a short pause next to the Billy Wright statue, the cortège continued its journey to St Peter's followed on foot by masses of mourners who had come out to bid farewell to Sir Jack.

Along the route fans dressed in gold and black, and held banners reading 'he's one of our own'.

In Queen Square, Nimrod by Elgar played out over loud speakers as fans welcomed the passing funeral cars with rapturous applause and chants of "He was one of our own" and "thumbs up if you love Sir Jack".

As the funeral ceremony got underway just yards away, there was a hush over the city centre.

Sir Jack's son Jonathan thanked those who had gathered in the streets and read the Rudyard Kipling poem 'If'.

His other son Rick read The Soldier by Rupert Brooke.

Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant and lifelong Wolves fan Robert Plant read the William Blake poem 'The Tyger' as part of the church service.

The rock frontman told the congregation: "He was a force, indeed a vivid and enquiring mind, full of kindness and humour. He was candid and a dauntless figure.

"It was his spirit that impressed me most."

The most emotional reading came from Sir Jack's friend and Wolves vice-president Baroness Rachael Heyhoe Flint.

She said: "Whenever he missed a home game he called me for all the details.

"'What was the attendance' was always the first question, today I think I could tell him this is a full house.

"His memory will live on through his tremendous work to support causes he was passionate about."

Sir Jack died after being taken ill on a round-the-world cruise last month. He had been suffering from cancer.

The boyhood fan invested £60 million into his beloved club, rebuilding Molineux and in 2003 succeeded in taking Wolves into the Premier League.

Sir Jack, famous for his passionate support of anything British, was carried to the church by a Jaguar hearse, his coffin draped in a Union Flag.

Club chaplain Rev David Wright, who lead the service, said Sir Jack had organised much of it before his death.

He added: "He chose all the music, he chose virtually all of the readings. He really had a hand in his own celebration of his life.

"All those who were diminished by Sir Jack's passing have been enriched by his living.

"It is a time for a family, a club, a city, for all of us to say goodbye but also to say thank you."

Fan Daniel Wilkes, 20 from Wolverhampton, who gathered to pay his respects, said: "Sir Jack has done so much for the club and the city - he has made it what it is."