Osborn and Roberts revisit Wolves’ Palace near-miss ahead of Saturday trip | OneFootball

Simon Osborn and Iwan Roberts have revisited Wolves’ 1990s near-misses, centring on the 1996/97 play-off defeat to Crystal Palace, with a visit to Palace due on Saturday.

Speaking at a Cleveland Arms event hosted by Matt Murray, the former Molineux men reflected on fine margins and fading momentum. According to ExpressAndStar.com, Osborn, 54, and Roberts, 57, balanced the pain with fonder memories, including Roberts’ Hawthorns hat-trick in a 4-2 win at West Bromwich Albion that season.

Wolves finished third, four points behind Barnsley, with Bolton clear at the top. Palace, sixth, struck twice late on in the first leg at Selhurst Park, Dougie Freedman making it 2-0 in the 88th minute before Jamie Smith hit back with his only Wolves goal, then Freedman added a third.

Molineux’s second leg crackled, yet Mark Atkins’ first-half effort was cancelled by David Hopkin, and Adey Williams’ late header proved only a consolation as another play-off run ended in frustration.

Osborn said the campaign was complicated by him playing through injury from March before surgery, and that brief dips, draws that should have been wins and niggles stalled momentum when it mattered.

Roberts felt the squad had the quality and character, but pressure and expectancy may have nudged anxiety at key moments as Barnsley edged second. He still calls that Molineux night the best atmosphere he experienced, a view Osborn shared about playing under the lights.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com