Wolves' epic cup final victory in depths of Second World War

And for visitors Sunderland the humiliation at Molineux started early. Examine the picture closely and you'll see they are emerging from a dressing room marked "Contaminated Entrance – Female."

There's a reason for that. This was the Football League War Cup Final played between Wolves and Sunderland on May 30, 1942, and we can surmise that during the war the changing rooms at Molineux were earmarked for a gas decontamination role, should there have been a gas attack.

While the second picture is very similar, it's not Sunderland this time. "Wolves v Sheffield United?" is the tentative caption on the original print in our archive. Well yes, it definitely is Sheffield United, as the player on the left is identifiably Harry Hooper, who was a United stalwart from 1930 to 1947, and captained the team when Sheffield made a losing appearance in the FA Cup Final in 1936.

Back to the 1942 Football League War Cup Final. The Sunderland captain carrying the ball onto the pitch is Alex Hastings, a Scottish international who was to make over 300 appearances for the club.

The final was played over two legs, the first being at Sunderland on May 23 and ending in a 2-2 draw, so it was all to play for when the Wearsiders came to Molineux for the return leg on May 30.