Games to remember ex-Wolves coach John Perkins

Perkins, known as JP, worked at Molineux between 2000 and 2009 as assistant academy manager and under-18s coach and was in charge when Wolves’ talented youngsters reached the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup in 2005.

Stoke City Under-23s, where he was a senior academy coach there when he died in October 2016 after a short illness, will play at Hinckley’s Midland League side Leicester Road on Saturday – kick-off 1pm – for The John Perkins Memorial Plate.

Nottingham Forest Under-23s – where Perkins started his professional coaching career in 1989 – will then travel to Leicester Road on Tuesday July 30, kick-off 7.30pm, and play for The John Perkins Memorial Trophy.

The matches has been organised by Leicester Road manager Neil Lyne, who as a young semi-professional player with Leicester United also signed for Nottingham Forest with John Perkins in 1989 and remained a very close friend.

At the time of his passing, Wolves sporting director Kevin Thelwell led the tributes and described how Perkins ‘cared deeply for young players, had a passion for youth football and would do everything to help them improve and develop both as footballers and as people’.

Thelwell also described Perkins as an ‘excellent coach’.

Former Wolves captain Danny Batth was just one of the academy players to graduate into the first team under JP’s stewardship.

He explained: “John was a major influence and a massive help to me during my time in the academy, both on and off the pitch. I stayed in touch with him all the way through since he left the club. He was one of football’s good guys and is sadly missed.”

In total, John Perkins spent 26 years working in professional youth football, in various different roles, and held all the top coaching qualifications, including the UEFA A Licence.

Apart from Wolves, Forest and Stoke, he also enjoyed successful coaching stints at Derby County and Portsmouth.