Mel Eves on the last winner at United
The last man to score a Wolves winner at Old Trafford believes his old team have never had a better chance of breaking his 30-year record.
The last man to score a Wolves winner at Old Trafford believes his old team have never had a better chance of breaking his 30-year record.
Until last week's five-goal Carling Cup thriller, Wolves hadn't even scored at the home of Manchester United in six trips spanning three decades.
But former striker Mel Eves, who bagged the only goal on 9 February 1980, reckons the second half of his record could at last be about to go tomorrow.
The 54-year-old, now a football agent, said: "I think it's Wolves' best chance of winning there since that day.
"Saturday's win against Manchester City was uplifting for morale, although the mood in the camp will have been pretty good anyway with the performances we've seen.
"But those three points were so important - they took a lot of pressure off. There's a feeling that things are slipping into place for Wolves.
"United have one or two people out, then there's been the Wayne Rooney situation, so it might be a good time to go there."
Eves, who was briefly a team-mate of Molineux boss Mick McCarthy at City in the 1980s, is convinced Wolves, who were the only team to win at Old Trafford in 1979-80, possess the same belief as that last team to humble United on home soil.
He said: "We won 10 away games in the league that season and we always had that expectation of knowing we could win anywhere.
"You have to have a belief in your approach, a belief in your team-mates and a dressing room that's really together, which is what Wolves have.
"They've got the right attitude to work and they can put that record to bed."
Eves believes Wolves will take confidence not only by their return to winning ways against City but their performance at Old Trafford last week, when they went down 3-2.
He said: "Wolves acquitted themselves well that night, and I'm sure they'll think they can do the same again but get the right result.
"But you need luck when you go to Old Trafford, because United are such a strong team."
So what of the goal that silenced Old Trafford?
Of the 53 Eves scored in seven years at Wolves from 1977-84, there are few more memorable than his strike at the old Scoreboard End.
He said: "I remember I played a one-two with John Richards just over 25 yards out, took a touch inside and hit it from just outside the box low to Gary Bailey's right, but he didn't really move and it fizzed into the net.
"The ground almost fell silent for a second as it was a case of 'what have Wolves done?' because it came a bit out of the blue.
"But like Mick's team now, we always had a gameplan - we were very organised and everyone knew what they were doing on and off the ball.
"Mick's gone back to 4-5-1 but that seems to suit the better and the return of Stephen Hunt has given him another wide option."
