Sherpa Van Trophy remembered: A day Wolves fans will never forget

Around 48,000 gold and black clad supporters took over a corner of London as Wolves enjoyed one of the most memorable days in their history.

The competition may not have been the most prestigious, or the game itself the most exciting. But a triumphant day at Wembley is never to be sniffed at and Wolves’ 2-0 win over Burnley was a key part of the club’s rejuvenation as it dragged itself from the doldrums.

Fans still talk of the Sherpa Van Trophy win with the warmest of affection.

At the time, the club had not long stared liquidation and extinction in the face, with mounting debts leading to a last-minute rescue deal.

Molineux was falling to bits and the club was in the bottom tier of the Football League pyramid, despite only having won the League Cup in 1980 and been one of the finest teams on the planet two decades earlier.

But, fuelled by the astonishing goalscoring talents of hero Steve Bull (he netted 52 in all competitions that season) and the astute management of Graham Turner, things were looking up and Wolves had just become champions of the old Fourth Division.

And the Sherpa Van Trophy, a small cup competition featuring teams in the bottom two divisions of English professional football, represented a chance for Wolves to show the country that they were on the way back.

Anticipation was huge in the build-up to the game with fans queueing around Molineux for tickets.

Up to 6,000 camped and queued for the last remaining 4,500 tickets days before the game took place, with the total Wembley attendance of around 80,000 eclipsing that seen for an England v Scotland game a week earlier.

And the scramble for tickets was well worth it as a sea of gold and black roared Wolves on to victory at what remains their most recent Wembley appearance.

Andy Mutch took advantage of some slack Burnley defending at a corner to squeeze his header into the net in the first half.

And the result was settled when Robbie Dennison curled home an inch-perfect free-kick right in front of the hordes of Wolves fans.

That then led to the moment where skipper Ally Robertson and his team-mates climbed the 39 steps to lift the trophy before bringing it back to Wolverhampton for an open-top bus parade through the city.

Wolves may be enjoying a bright new era, but the Wembley Wonders will never be forgotten.

Wolves: Kendall, Bellamy, Thompson, Streete, Robertson (Gallagher 46’), Robinson, Dennison, Downing, Bull, Mutch, Holmes (Vaughan 44’).

Goals: Mutch 22’ Dennison 50’

Burnley: Pearce, Daniel, Deakin, Britton, Davis, Gardner, Farrell, Oghani, Taylor, Comstive, McGrory, (James 61’).