Steve Bull: “I can’t wait for the England action to get started!”
The next few days are going to be special for our club, city and region.
To have three England matches at Molineux in such a short space of time really is unbelievable.
Tonight will be the first time in 66 years we have hosted the senior men’s team and it feels fair to say it has been a long time coming. I can’t help but think back to how the ground has looked at various stages since then – not least when I first joined the club in 1986 – and feel this moment again underlines the scale of the transformation.
It is not just Molineux which has changed beyond all recognition. Gareth Southgate and his players will also be making use of Compton Park in the build-up to Tuesday’s game against Hungary and they will find a top-class facility. They certainly won’t go wanting for anything, that is for sure. There will be no excuses for not performing on the pitch.
It is a shame tonight’s match is behind closed doors, though obviously that has nothing to do with Wolves. Those 3,000 or so children who are allowed in will get to witness something most adult supporters won’t have seen.
I won’t be there myself tonight due to prior commitments but I will be there on Tuesday, working in the museum before the game where I’ll be meeting and greeting guests and telling them what Wolves are all about. Then my daughter and I will go and watch the game and I’m really looking forward to it. I think it will be a great atmosphere and the England players will really enjoy the backing they receive. The Three Lions have had their ups and downs over the years but they will always be the nation’s No.1 team and under Gareth they have done really well.
He’s got an exciting pool of players to pick from and I certainly don’t envy the headache he is facing when it comes to picking the 23 to go to Qatar this winter.
Hopefully Conor Coady will be among them. This could be a memorable week for the Wolves skipper, who has the chance to be the club’s first player since Billy Wright to play for England at Molineux.
I’ve got my fingers crossed that happens as it would be superb for the lad. He’s done brilliantly for Wolves and deserves no less. A born leader on and off the pitch, he’s a great ambassador for the club and I only see him going from strength to strength. Who knows, if he stays around a few more years, he could have my role!
After the men play Hungary, England women then host Belgium on Thursday in a warm-up for the European Championships. The next few days really do provide the chance to show the rest of the country what we’ve got as a city.
Tonight will only be the eighth time since 2007 the senior England men’s team have played a home fixture away from Wembley and to be honest I’m surprised the FA don’t do it more often. It’s the first time they have played in the West Midlands for 17 years and that feels too long a gap. It does sometimes feel we get overlooked a little. We’ve got some fantastic grounds in this region and elsewhere in the country, some fantastic clubs who don’t get the chance to host a match like Wolves are doing now.
I’d like to see England go on the road more often and then save Wembley for those really special occasions. That is what we’ve got to look forward to in Wolverhampton over the next few days. I really can’t wait for it to get started.
