Wolves, Blackburn and an opening-day omen from 1982 | OneFootball

Wolves open their Championship campaign against Blackburn at Molineux, a fixture that echoes 1982/83 when, weeks after a financial crisis and under new boss Graham Hawkins, Wolves came from behind to win 2-1 and set up promotion.

ExpressAndStar.com points out that in July 1982 the club teetered on collapse amid debts of £2.5m before a last-day rescue led by Derek Dougan, with Allied Properties’ backers later including the Bhatti Brothers. Hawkins replaced Ian Greaves and had three and a half weeks to build a team.

On opening day Simon Garner put Rovers ahead, but Mel Eves struck two second-half headers to turn it around in front of 15,605. Sixteen-year-old David Wintersgill started, 18-year-old Billy Livingstone led the line, and fellow teenager Paul Butler arrived from the bench to cross for the winner within a minute.

Players recall fearing the club had gone before the takeover deadline. Eves says Hawkins’ clarity and the arrival of goalkeeper John Burridge sharpened standards and the mood. Butler remembers nerves fading once on the pitch, then beating his full back and delivering the decisive ball.

That victory lit the fuse. Wolves drew 0-0 at Chelsea and 0-0 at Leeds, then won five straight without conceding. An 817-minute league shutout underpinned an unbeaten run of 10 games, and they went up as runners-up to QPR.

Now, with familiar parallels, supporters may wonder if another opening-night win against Blackburn could again prove a good omen.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com

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