On this day: Steve Bull retires from Wolves

The news no Wolves supporter wanted to hear filtered through to the Express & Star and then our readers in the Black Country, writes Craig Birch.

'Bully' would never kick a competitive ball for the club again and was retiring after 13 years in gold'n'black, with 561 games that had yielded 306 goals.

The 34-year-old had beaten John Richards to Wolves' all-time scoring record, a tally that may never be surpassed, and had hoped to carry on playing.

Rumours had raged for most of 1999 that the Tipton-born striker still hadn't fixed the problems with his left knee it was claimed he'd recovered from.

On this day, July 13, he made a decision while with his team-mates on tour in Europe, cutting an isolated and frustrated figure. It was no place for his story to end.

He'd reported back for pre-season training eight days previously but, before the squad left for Sweden, he'd already had to have fluid drained from his knee.

Even that didn't stop the swelling around the joint and, with that, 'Bully' knew it was over. He met with manager Colin Lee and informed him that lunchtime.

Acting quickly, Lee called back to the West Midlands to inform the club's managing director - which, ironically, was Richards - and owner Sir Jack Hayward.

Talk quickly turned to what position the club's hierarchy could find for Bully to keep him at Molineux, but a coaching position already seemed out of the question.

He was in the process of gaining his qualifications, but Wolves had only just brought in future manager Terry Connor to their back-room staff. All bases were covered.

There was also suggestions Bully could work in a public relations role for the club and capitalise on his popularity. For the fun of it, too, as he was already financially set for life.

The following day's Express & Star - on July 14 - went to town in paying tribute to him, with an eight-page spread and a host of names sharing their thoughts on 'Bully.'

Goodwill messages had equally poured on to an Expressandstar.com that was still in its infancy and even his time at West Brom had been noted among the eulogy.

Commons speaker and West Bromwich MP Betty Boothroyd hailed him as "one of Tipton's most famous sons" whose goalscoring abilities "dominated the headlines."

No immediate role ended up being forthcoming at Wolves, but they did him proud later on. They re-named the John Ireland Stand after him in 2003 and made him a vice-president.

He did pull on the boots again, too, coming out of retirement for the 2000-01 season to join Hereford United as a coach under Graham Turner - the man who signed him for Wolves in 1986.

He only managed six appearances, scoring twice, and there was no doubt that this wasn't the player of old. He did get a second testimonial at Wolves in 2006, against Aston Villa.

This time, he managed all off seven minutes after coming off. These days, he's a regular visitor to Molineux on match-days and remains a key figure in the area, living in Compton Park.