Wolves comment: First trip had me hooked for life

For quite a few, their proudest moment as a Wolves fan came last season, with the FA Cup quarter-final victory against Manchester United being such a special occasion.

Long-serving supporters will look back at the golden era under Stan Cullis, with Billy Wright donning the armband, with the utmost fondness.

Steve Bull’s goals, European nights – of which more are on the horizon – and Championship title triumphs have been quite the treat over the years, too.

Personally, being a fan before having the privilege of covering the club, one game sticks out, although nobody else probably looks back at it in the same way.

After all, a defeat to Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly on August 3, 2002, sounds pretty uninspiring.

But, for me, it was the first taste of the stadium bathed in gold and black. And from that point on, I was hooked.

Born into a family of Wolves fans, the Magpies clash saw me sat in the North Bank, watching the side managed by Dave Jones and with Dennis Irwin, Joleon Lescott and Alex Rae among the starting line-up.

The attendance was 14,973 – not even half of what turn up at the ground week in and week out these days.

As a newcomer, though, it was an astounding experience.

It was hard to fathom that so many people could gather at one place, all for one cause – for the love of Wolves.

There were many chants. I didn’t know the words, of course, but ‘Hi Ho Wolverhampton’ was easy enough to grasp, and so I screamed it as loud as I could as the players took to the hallowed turf.

In the Newcastle team was Alan Shearer.

Lomana LuaLua partnered him in attack and scored both goals for the visitors – one in the first half, one in the second half.

The striker did his trademark acrobatic celebration while Dean Sturridge, up top for Wolves, was stretchered off with an injury.

My first Molineux experience did not end with a win, but it did not need to.

Given the atmosphere, the players – Colin Cameron and Kenny Miller early favourites of mine – and the striking kit which was sponsored by Doritos and nobody else wore anything remotely close to, I knew I would be back.

Not before long, I’d got the shirt, with ‘Joe 9’ on the back – creative, I know.

Later came the Championship title win in 2008/09.

The players were doing a lap of honour and Michael Kightly was firing T-shirts into the crowd. I waved at him, he aimed for me – but a bloke beat me to the punch.

The madcap 6-4 win against Rotherham en route to the League One title just over five years ago was fantastic too – Sam Ricketts’ spectacular long-range strike sending us barmy. Happy days. Here’s to many more.