How Wolves plunged to the lower leagues and nearly ceased to exist - Part 16: Bill McGarry's search for success
In more detail than ever before, the Express & Star tells the full Bhatti brothers story – a troubled era which saw Wolves plunge to depths of the lower leagues and face financial oblivion. In Part 16, Bill McGarry's search for success comes to nothing.
Manager Bill McGarry's first appearance in the dugout came at Burnden Park on September 7 1985, where just under 5,000 turned out to watch Wolves play Bolton Wanderers.
The first 45 minutes looked promising enough, the sides going in goalless at half-time, with Wolves having held their own against the Bolton attack, and having created a few chances of their own.
"Bolton are going to come at us strongly at the start of the second half," he warned his players in the half-time team talk. "If we survive the first 10 minutes, we'll get a draw or even win it."
Within six minutes of the restart, Bolton had the game wrapped up. An unnecessary tackle from teenager Nicky Clarke had the referee pointing to the penalty spot three minutes into the second half, Steve Thompson slotting home the kick. Three minutes later, Thompson scored again. Nicky Cross scored twice more for Bolton, with substitute Johnny Morrissey getting an 85th-minute consolation goal in a 4-1 defeat.
Bill McGarry's honeymoon had lasted all of 72 hours.
If a promising first-half performance at least gave the travelling fans a couple of straws to clutch at, these disappeared quickly during McGarry's first game at Molineux: A 5-1 humiliation by Swansea in front of 4,000 fans.
"Saturday, September 14, 1985, will be remembered as a notable landmark in Wolves' headlong nosedive towards oblivion," wrote E&S man Harrison. "It was also the day when years of neglect and mismanagement manifested themselves.
"The regime who arrived three years ago in a blaze of self-glorification and grandiose promises have now got what they deserve – a sub-standard side, whose lowest point has still to be reached."
Absent from that match was former England B international Bob Hazell, who McGarry had signed on loan from Leicester City five years after Wolves sold him to QPR. He was ineligible to play against Swansea, as the paperwork had not been completed in time. But McGarry was excited about his prospects, saying he was the man to build a team around. He was available for the next game, a Tuesday night clash with Bristol Rovers beneath the Molineux floodlights, watched by 3,244 fans.
The game started brightly. Neil Edwards fired Wolves into a third-minute lead, and Andy King doubled the advantage on 20 minutes. E&S man Denis Sunley commented how much more assured the Wolves defence looked with Hazell at its heart. Paul Randall and Steve Badock drew the scores level in the second half, but Wolves still looked on top of the game. And then, in the 70th minute... Hazell was stretchered off and taken to hospital. The man McGarry was hoping would lead Wolves out of the wilderness never played for the club again, having ruptured his Achilles tendon. Hazell's injury led to a late rally from Rovers, who won the game 4-3.
After three games and three defeats, McGarry's Wolves were rooted firmly to the bottom of the table, with his star player was out for the season.
