IN FOCUS: WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

We take a closer look at our opposition for the upcoming Premier League season

Wolverhampton Wanderers

The club were founded in 1877 as St. Lukes F.C by John Baynton and John Brodie, who were two pupils of St Lukes Church School in Blakenhall.

After playing their first ever match in the same year, St Lukes then merged with the football section of a local cricket club called Blakenhall Wanderers to form Wolverhampton Wanderers 1879.

Wolves became professional nine years later and became one of the founder members of the Football League in 1888 and played in the first round of Football League fixtures ever staged in September that year.

Wanderers finished third in their first season in third-place before moving to Molineux at the end of the season in 1889.

Wolves lifted their first FA Cup in 1893 after beating Everton and then spent 14 seasons in Divison One before being relegated in 1906 to Division Two.

Two years later the Midlands side added a second FA Cup to the trophy cabinet before dropping down a league once again in 1923. However, it only took Wolves a season to return to the Second Division and and in 1932 they were back in the top-flight.

30 years were then spent in Divison One, winning the league title three times and the FA Cup twice more to take the cup total upto four in the club’s history before dropping to Divison Two 1965.

A flurry of promotions and relegations from the top-flight and Divison Two were aplenty throughout 1965 and 1992 as well as winning the League Cup trophy twice before a consistent run in Divison One.

Wolves spent 11 years in the second tier before reaching the Premier League in 2003, but the Wanderers were only there for one season after finishing bottom and being relegated back to the Championship the following year.

Five years later Wolverhampton were back in the big time after winning the league title under Mick McCarthy in 2009 and it was a three year stay this time before once again being relegated in 2012.

Another relegation followed the season after and Wolves found themselves in League one ahead of the 2013/14 campaign which Kenny Jackett’s side won in style and were back in the Championship just a season later.

It took the Wanderers four years to then reach the Premier League again after promotion in 2018 which has since seen Wolves finish 7th twice and reach the UEFA Europa League quarter-final in 2019 and ensuring top-flight status once again last season.

Stadium: Molineux (31,750) – Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, WV1 4QR

Nickname(s): Wolves, The Wanderers

Manager: Julian Lopetegui

2022/23 finishing position: 13th

2022/23 top scorer (all competitions): Rúben Neves / Daniel Podence (6)

Played for both:

Stephen Ward – Dublin-born Ward joined Wolves in 2007 from Irish side Bohemians. The left-back spent seven seasons at Molineux making 239 appearances and helped Wolves achieve promotion to the Premier League in 2009 after winning the Championship title. Ward signed for the Clarets ahead of the 2014/15 season in the Premier League but only made 10 appearances in his first season due injuries. The Irishman then helped the Clarets seal the Championship title in 2016 and went on to feature 113 times with the majority of them in the Premier League. Ward left the Clarets in 2019 after six seasons in Lancashire to join Stoke City.

Sam Vokes – Vokes initially joined the Clarets on loan in the 2011/12 season before making it a permanent move in the summer ahead of the 2012/13 campaign. The Welsh striker was part of two promotion squads to the Premier League and played 258 times in seven years at Turf Moor. Vokes scored 62 goals during his time before departing in 2019 for Stoke City.

Roger Eli – The Bradford-born forward started at Leeds United before moving to Wolves in 1986. The striker played 18 times for the Wanderers before leaving in 1987 for Cambridge. Eli had spells at Crewe Alexandra, York City, Bury and Northwich Victoria before signing for Burnley in 1989. The attacker made just under 100 appearances for the Clarets and scored 20 goals before joining Chinese side Foshan in 1994.

Full record against (competitive): P – 137, W – 41, D – 30, L – 66

Last time we met: 24.04.2022 – Burnley 1 [Vydra] – 0 Wolves (PL)

Last win against: Above

2023/24 Fixtures: H – 05/12/23 – A 02/04/2024