Wolves star John Richards comes to supporter's aid after cherished picture damaged in Hurricane Harvey
It was his prized possession – a signed photograph of his hero, Wolves striker John Richards.
But Clive Hill’s framed picture was left damaged by flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, which ripped through his newly-adopted home of Houston, Texas.
However, John, now aged 66, has come to the aid of the supporter, who moved from Penn more than 25 years ago, by offering up a replacement.
It will be a signed photograph of the man nicknamed the King scoring the winner in the League Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley in 1974.
Mr Hill, aged 65, lost furniture, appliances, flooring and two cars to the floods, caused by the hurricane on August 27.
They are being supported in a project to rebuild their home by Wolves fans, who have raised £580 for him.
Richard Green, from the Wolves Former Players’ Association, said: “Wolves asked me to talk to John Richards following the story we read in the Express & Star to see what we could do. John has a picture of his goal from the 1974 League Cup Final which he will sign. He was more than happy to help.”
Mr Green added: “Furthermore, Wolves have agreed to send an invitation to Mr Hill to a match whenever he is in the UK again.”
John Richards was the record Wolves goalscorer, with 194 goals, before he was overtaken by Steve Bull. He madesigned for Wolves in 1969, making 486 appearances for Wolves in all competitions before leaving in 1983.
Hurricane Harvey dumped an estimated 20 trillion gallons of rain on the Houston area and has claimed at least 47 lives.
After evacuating, Clive and Marla spent three nights at a hotel 30 miles north before returning on Wednesday morning.
Mr Hill went to his first Wolves match aged five.
He was a regular at Molineux before moving to the USA in 1989, where he has his own fencing business.
Visit www.gofundme.com/harvey-vs-clive-of-houston to contribute to the online fundraiser.
