Wolves fan Ivor gets gift from hero Peter Knowles after star overhears hospital conversation
A Wolves fan was stunned to receive a gift out of the blue from one of his all-time club heroes.
Ivor Roberts had been reminiscing about Wolves glory days in the 1960s whilst visiting his sick nephew at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton.
Unknown to him, their conversation was overheard by a club star of that era, Peter Knowles, who was visiting a relative in the same ward.
The following day, his nephew called to say that the former England Under-23, who gave up the game at the height of his career to become a Jehovah's Witness, had left a present for him.
The surprise turned out to be a framed photograph of Peter Knowles shaking hands with his brother, Spurs player Cyril Knowles, at a League Cup tie at the Molineux in September 1969, three weeks before he quit football.
It was signed: "This is the only picture I had taken of me and my brother Cyril while playing football."
Ivor, of Springhill Road, Wednesfield, said: "I was absolutely stunned. I just want to thank the guy."
The 62-year-old service engineer for Briggs in Cannock said he had been visiting his nephew Adam Roberts, who was undergoing treatment for diabetes, when the talk turned to Wolves.
"I was recalling some of the great Wolves players of the 1960s, including Dave Wagstaffe, our left winger, who was another of my heroes. I went to his funeral and was saying it was one of the best I'd ever been to.
"As I left the hospital with my son Gareth, someone called out and asked me my name. I told him and thought I knew him from somewhere but thought nothing else of it.
"The next day I got a call from Adam telling me Peter Knowles had been to see him and left a gift for me. I couldn't believe it. I'm a massive Wolves fan and Peter Knowles was one of my heroes.
"I remember him coming to take out a girl on the estate in Wednesfield where we lived because you'd see his little yellow sports car with his initials on the side parked outside the house.
"I spent many happy hours on the terraces at Wolves with my grandfather James Lambeth and my uncles Geoff and Victor. I'm pretty sure I was at that Wolves-Spurs game on September 3, which Wolves won 1-0 after a draw at White Hart Lane."
The proud grandfather said: "I'd like Peter to know I'll treasure this gift forever and I will be passing it on to my five-month-old grandson Jacob.
It was a wonderful gesture from a world-class player."
