Richard Stearman on his Wolves return: I missed it here

Richard Stearman is back - and it's like he's never been away.

The 29-year-old was welcomed home like a hero at Molineux on Saturday when he made his second Wolves debut in the 1-1 draw against Burton Albion.

It was an emotional reunion for the popular defender.

After 12 months away he's hoping to pick up where he left off at a club that is very different to the one he left for Fulham last September.

And he's certainly got the backing of the Wolves fans.

He said of his rapturous reception: "It was incredible - one of my best moments on a football pitch," Stearman said.

"I had a great affinity with this lot when I was here previously.

"It's great to rekindle that again. Hopefully I can reward them with the type of performance I had done previously.

"It gave me great confidence going into the game knowing they were fully behind me.

"I've had a lot of good times here and I wanted to come back and relive some more.

"I always hoped I'd come back here at some point, whether that be playing or non-playing. But to come back this quickly is a great feeling. I'm very excited for the future.

"It's amazing to be back. I missed it. And why wouldn't I?

"Things happen in football and more often than not you move on, but I was very lucky I had a long period at this club. It's a special club to me, I think everyone knows that."

No fewer than 17 new signings have been made since Stearman departed last year, counting last January's transfer window business.

Wolves have new owners, a new head coach and a new momentum as they look to return to the Premier League.

There are still a few familiar faces around the place though. And importantly for Stearman two of them are his old centre half partner and his old goalkeeper.

"I've probably played my best football with Danny (Batth) alongside me and Carl (Ikeme) behind me," he added. "So to have them still here bodes well for me and hopefully we can pick up where we left off.

"I think I'm here to bring experience and stability to the team – I'm that older head that's maybe required both on and off the pitch, here and at Compton. It's a job I thrive upon, helping the young lads and being that second captain to Danny, guiding players through the game.

"I had young Cameron (Borthwick-Jackson) next to me who I thought was brilliant. I really enjoyed trying to help through the game and he was thoroughly deserving of being man of the match."

Wolves struggled against a well-organised Burton outfit, taking until the 77th minute to break the deadlock through full league debutant Prince Oniangue's goal.

Substitute Will Miller claimed a dramatic late point for the Brewers, scoring a 94th-minute equaliser.

Stearman, whose return is for now only temporary in the form of a 12-month loan deal, feels that Wolves deserved to win the game - and that the foundations are there for a promotion push this season.

"It's a devastating result at the end but it's the rollercoaster I'm used to at Wolverhampton," he said.

"You can see it's a work in progress. There are a lot of new players, new staff, different to what I was used to when I was here before but it's very exciting times here and you can see what we're trying to achieve and how we're trying to play.

"Give it a few more games and it will come to fruition.

"The boss is very passionate, I really like what he's trying to do. He's charismatic and tries to portray that in the way we play.

"Promotion is the expectation. That's why I'm here, that's the whole drive around the place, you can feel that walking back through the door that there's maybe a slightly different vibe to when I was previously here."