Express & Star

On this day: A Carr is born in seventh heaven

A star is born in gold'n'black - the last time Wolves won a major trophy in English football is not the only thing about the team that should be remembered today.

Published

Every bit of the 1980 League Cup win against Nottingham Forest - the last time the club were at the top table for the country's cups - deserves to be rejoiced.

But throw it back five years previously to 15 March 1975 and a 7-1 First Division victory over Chelsea at Molineux was notable in more ways than one.

An eye-catching hammering of the current Premier League champions came with both teams struggling in the bottom half of the top-flight table.

And the game also marked the arrival of Scottish midfielder Willie Carr - an £80,000 capture from Coventry City - who should show what he brought to the table.

John Richards, the scorer of the only goal of the game in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, broke the deadlock on 23 minutes.

Carr made his impact just two minutes later, finding the net with a strike from 20 yards. Bill Garner than halved the deficit for the Blues with a header on 37.

But Wolves would restore their two-goal cushion before half-time through Kenny Hibbitt and they resumed their onslaught after the break with aplomb.

Captain Mike Bailey made it 4-1 with a superb volley from the edge of the area on 59 before strikes from Steve Kindon (72), a second from Richards (75) and a Dave Wagstaffe goal (83) completed the rout.

Fast forward to that point in time come 1980 and Carr was again in the starting line-up, under the management of John Barnwell. Bill McGarry, who brought him in, was sacked in 1976.

That Chelsea result proved a false dawn, as they were relegated the following season. Sammy Chung took them back up at the first attempt as champions, before making way for Barnwell in November 1978.

He would mastermind their First Division stability and march to Wembley in 1980. They were by no means the favourites, with Brian Clough's Forest bidding for a unique League Cup hat-trick.

The diminutive Scot bossed the midfield, while defensive duo Emlyn Hughes and George Berry put on a master-class to handle the threat of Garry Birtles and Trevor Francis.

Wolves had quality of their own, of course, with Britain's most expensive signing Andy Gray leading the line up front. Peter Daniel had been switched to the wing, with Hibbitt moving inside.

Daniel, who did his job magnificently, assisted Gray for what proved to be a 66th minute winner. The result spelled the end of a 26-game unbeaten run in the League Cup competition for Forest.

It was a goal that produced one of the loudest roars Wembley had ever heard. When Hughes lifted the trophy, the scene was met with jubilation by Wolves fans.

And it was to be a crowning glory for Carr, who had already played at two levels for Wolves.

He would leave in the summer of 1982, after they went down again. In total, he made 289 appearances for the club, scoring 26 times.

Willie Carr (right) marks the E & S' Sporting Star coverage of the 1980 League Cup final at our Queen Street offices.
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