Best Wembley memories of Wolves heroes

Steve Bull, Andy Thompson and Robbie Dennison were reunited at the Cleveland Arms Sports bar in Wolverhampton on Thursday night, writes Craig Birch.

All three joined Wolves during the 1986-87 season from Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion, for bargain fees totalling £145,000.

They became cornerstones of Graham Turner's team, as they climbed from the Fourth Division to the second tier in addition to the Wembley trip.

A sell-out crowd listened to tales of the then Fourth Division champions' march to claim the Football League Trophy. They were interviewed on stage by host Nigel Pearson.

The event was titled 'the Sherpa Van Boys,' paying homage to the title sponsor of the competition which is now the Checkatrade Trophy.

It remains the club's last trip to Wembley some 26 years later and was watched by a crowd of 80,841, which still stands tall as the tournament's largest-ever attendance.

The trio racked up over 1,000 Wolves appearances between them, with only Thompson ever getting back to Wembley as an unused substitute for Tranmere in the 2000 League Cup final.

The Featherstone-born defender, 48, said: "We knew how big the crowd was going to be, but nothing prepared us for what we saw coming down Wembley Way.

"I'd never seen a group of people that big in my life and the Wolves fans were in great voice. It set us up for a day to remember."

Legendary club-record goalscorer Bull, 51, said: "All I could see was a sea of gold and black as we got to Wembley. It made the hairs stand up on the back of your neck."

Dennison scored the second goal for Wolves that day against Third Division outfit Burnley on 29 May 1988, after Andy Mutch had broken the deadlock during the 2-0 victory.

Northern Irishman Dennison, now 53, has remained in the West Midlands since the end of his playing days and is settled in Halesowen.

He said: "The supporters were absolutely fantastic, as they always were, but nothing beats running out of the tunnel and onto the pitch at Wembley. It's what every boy dreams of."

The trophy triumph came two seasons after the club's darkest hour, relegation to the bottom tier of the Football League for the first and only time.

Turner arrived on 7 October 1986 for an eight-year period in charge and showed astute business sense in the transfer market.

He signed 'Bully' and Thompson from Albion on November 20, with their Cleve appearance a week and a month shy of 30 years later.

Turner paid the Baggies a £125,000 combined fee for their services. At the time, he said: "It's a big investment, but we'll get a long-term return."

That return was 451 appearances and 45 goals from Thompson, who made his name as a full-back who was converted from a forward.

Striker Bull, of course, went on to eclipse John Richards' tally as the club's record goalscorer, netting 306 times in 561 games.

Dennison later made the move from the Hawthorns as another bargain buy, costing just £20,000 on transfer deadline day in March 1987. He featured 353 times, with 49 strikes to his credit.

The trio all switched during the 1986-87 season, where Wolves missed out on promotion through the play-offs. They went up as champions the following year.

Under Turner's stewardship, they helped spearhead a rise from the Fourth to Second Division, plus the Wembley run, by the summer of 1989.