Capacity: 31,700 (all seated)
Address: Waterloo Rd, Wolverhampton, WV1 4QR
Telephone: 0371 222 2220
Fax: 01902 687 006
Ticket Office: 0371 222 1877
Pitch Size: 116 x 74 yards
Pitch Type: Grass
Club Nickname: Wolves
Year Ground Opened: 1889
Undersoil Heating: Yes
Shirt Sponsors: ManBetX
Kit Manufacturer: Adidas
Home Kit: Gold and Black
Away Kit: Black With Gold Trim
External View
Stan Cullis Stand
Billy Wright Stand
Looking Towards The Jack Harris Stand
Steve Bull Stand
Jack Harris Stand
Molineux
Billy Wright Statue
Stan Cullis Statue
Stan Cullis Stand External View
During the Summer of 2019, Wolverhampton Wanderers became the second club in the Premier League to install safety barriers, along rows of seating. The first club to do this were Tottenham Hotspur at their new stadium, but Wolves are actually the first Premiership club to do this at an existing ground. Wolves have added these safety barriers to the whole of the Jack Hayward (Southbank) Stand at one end of the ground. These safety barriers help prevent falls from one row onto another but also facilitate fans to stand, whilst watching the match. Although not technically referred to as a 'safe standing area,' they are in all but name only. It will be interesting to see how this affects the atmosphere at Molineux. I am sure it will be popular with the fans and it will be only a matter of time before other clubs follow suit.
Molineux is dominated by the modern Stan Cullis Stand at one end of the stadium, which was opened in 2012. This impressive looking structure towers over the rest of Molineux and the roof steelwork can be seen from miles around on the Wolverhampton skyline. The stand is two-tiered, with a larger lower tier, with the upper tier having a large windshield on one side. The stand extends partly around one corner towards the Steve Bull Stand and some seats in the upper tier in that corner will have a restricted view of the playing area, due to the roof of the Steve Bull Stand being directly in the line of sight. It is hoped that at some point the Steve Bull Stand will be replaced by a similar structure and will extend around to meet the new Stan Cullis Stand.
Both sides of the stadium are two-tiered covered stands, which have a row of executive boxes situated along the middle. They are unusual in being oval in shape, meaning that those sitting on the half way line are furthest away from the playing action. The oldest of these is the Steve Bull Stand, which was opened in 1979, whilst opposite is the Billy Wright Stand which was opened in 1993. This stand is the Main Stand at Molineux, which contains the Directors area, team dugouts in front and a television gantry below its roof. At one end is the Sir Jack Hayward Stand, which was also opened in 1993, four months after the Billy Wright Stand. Situated in the corner between the Sir Jack Hayward and Billy Wright stands, is a temporary stand that has a capacity of 900 seats. The seats are green coloured which makes it look a little out of place to the rest of the stadium. This is affectionately known as the 'Gene Kelly' stand (or officially known as the Graham Hughes Stand - named after a former club historian). That is because this area is open to the elements so you could end up 'singing in the rain'. There are a couple of video screens located in opposite corners of the stadium.
What particularly impresses me about Molineux, is that quality shows, getting the feeling that little expense has been spared in its construction. This is perhaps best summed up by the two statues that sit outside the ground. The impressive statue of Billy Wright is probably the finest football statue located at any ground in Britain. It sits outside the main entrance to the club offices. In 2003 the same designer, James Butler produced another statue, this time of former player and manager Stan Cullis. The Stan Cullis Statue is located outside the entrance to the Club Museum (see below). Also outside Molineux is a statue of former club owner Sir Jack Hayward which was unveiled in 2018.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have made it known that they are planning to expand the capacity of Molineux to around 50,000. This will be achieved by first building a new stand to replace the Steve Bull Stand on one side of the ground. This will raise capacity to 36,000. Next, a new large single tiered stand will be built to replace the Jack Hayward (South Bank) Stand at one end of the ground, taking the capacity up to 46,000. Works could commence on the new Steve Bull Stand in the Summer of 2020, with the new Jack Hayward Stand following two years later. The existing open corners of the ground will also be filled with seating taking the capacity to around 50,000. Below is an artist's impression of how the expanded Molineux may look (courtesy of the official Wolverhampton Wanderers website).
Away fans are housed in the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand, which runs along one side of the pitch, where up to 2,750 away supporters can be housed. Fans in this stand are sat quite far back from the playing area, which gives the illusion that the pitch is larger than at most other grounds. Wolves fans are housed in the upper tier above the away section making for some 'interesting conversations' between the home and visiting supporters.
For cup games then if required part of the Stan Cullis Stand at one can also be allocated, where an additional 1,500 visiting fans can be housed, high up on one side of the upper tier (towards the Steve Bull Stand side of the ground). David London a visiting Crystal Palace fan adds; 'Views are excellent from the front of the Stan Cullis Stand away section, although if you are at the top then it's all a bits distant. It's a lot of stairs up to the upper tier and when you get to the top puffing and blowing a friendly steward tells you that you should have asked to use the lift!'
The facilities are fine, including the catering, serving a range of Pies including; Steak, Chicken Balti, Potato & Meat, Cheese & Onion (all £3.40), Cheeseburgers (£3.80), Hot Dogs (£3.80) and Veggie Hot Dogs (£3.80).
Musical delights at the ground include just before kick off, 'Hi, Ho, Silver Lining' with the crowd singing 'Hi, Ho, Wolverhampton!' On one visit I got talking to a couple of Wolves fans on the train up to Wolverhampton and they suggested going for a drink in the city centre before the game which I did. I had quite an enjoyable time and they even took me right up to the away supporters entrance, shook my hand and wished me luck! very hospitable. I personally did not experience any problems during my visits, but I have received a number of reports of others that have not been so lucky. It is strongly advised that colours are kept covered around the ground and the city centre (and that goes for your cars too).
Well, it may be a great stadium, with good atmosphere, but the main drawback with a visit to Molineux is the lack of away friendly pubs for visiting supporters to drink in. Now there are a number of pubs situated around the ground, but they do not admit away fans, which to a certain extent I can understand. But what is a real shame is that unlike many new stadiums that are located out of town with not much in the way of drinking holes located around, Molineux is only a 10 minute walk away from the city centre where there are plenty of pubs to be found. However by far the greater majority, if not all, of these are for home supporters only on matchdays (even the Wetherspoons has bouncers on the door demanding to see your match ticket for one of the home sections before being allowed entry).
One exception is the Bluebrick beside the Premier Inn hotel. The Bluebrick has been designated by the Police as an away pub and is handily located near to the railway station. If arriving by train then as you leave the station entrance, walk straight on up the station approach. Immediately before the bridge going over the ring road, take the pathway going down on the left. Walk down to the path beside the ring road and turn right. Proceed under the bridge and walk along the path. Then take the next right onto Wednesfield Road. Go under the railway bridge and you will see the Premier Inn on your right. The Bluebrick is just behind the hotel.
Alcohol is available inside the stadium this includes Carling (£4.20 Pint), Banks's Bitter (£3.80 Can), Aston Manor Cider (£4.20 Bottle), plus wine and spirits (£4.20). the Club also have a deal whereby you can have one food item and one alcoholic drink (Lager, Beer or Cider) for £6.50.
From The South
Leave the M6 at Junction 10 and take the A454 towards Wolverhampton. Continue to follow the A454 right into Wolverhampton (be wary of speed cameras on the A454). On reaching the traffic island that intersects with the ring road, turn right. As you approach the 2nd set of lights look for the signs for football parking. The ground is over the second set of lights on the right. Alternatively, if you turn left into the city centre you may find a space in one of the many council run 'pay & display' car parks (see Car Parking below).
From The North
Leave the M6 at Junction 12 and take the A5 towards Telford and then turn onto the A449 towards Wolverhampton. On reaching the traffic island that intersects with the ring road, turn right. Then as South.
Car Parking
Just off the ring road near Molineux is the Civic Hall car park, normally remains open for night matches and costs £4 for three hours or £5.50 for four hours or £3 for evenings (entering the car park after 5pm). Terry a visiting Chelsea fan adds; 'Although the city centre car parks are handy, the area is busy with shoppers so you may like we did get stuck in long queues to get into one. I'd recommend parking in the car parks that you see further away from Molineux and taking the 10/15 minute walk; it also means you are back on the motorway quicker after the game'. There is also some limited parking available at the stadium itself at a cost of £5 per car. David Drysdale informs me; 'There is some street parking to be found on a small industrial estate near to Wolverhampton Railway Station. It is in the region of Kennedy Road (off Culwell Street). It is then about a ten minute walk to Molineux.' There is also the option of renting a private driveway near the Molineux Stadium via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.
Post Code for SAT NAV: WV1 4QR
Thanks to Paul Judd, an exiled Wolves fan, in Milton Keynes, for providing the directions.
Zeelo is running direct coach services for home fans travelling to Molineux. With the long train and bus journey or tiring drive, Zeelo offers a hassle free service straight to Molineux. Travel in a comfortable coach, with a guaranteed seat and soak in the atmosphere with other fans. This family-friendly service has special rates for seniors and children with prices starting from as little as £8 return.
Check the Zeelo website for more details
Wolverhampton Railway Station is around a 15 minute walk away from Molineux. From the main station entrance proceed straight on towards the city centre and as you reach the inner ring road turn right. Just follow the ring road as it continues in a circular pattern around to the left. Eventually you will see the Molineux on the right.
Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets:
Wolverhampton Wanderers operates a category system for matchday pricing (A & B) whereby the most popular games cost more to watch. Category A prices are shown below with Category B prices in brackets.
Home Fans
Billy Wright Stand (Upper Tier): Adults £40 (B £35), Over 65's/Under 21's* £18, Under 17's £15, Under 12's** £12
Billy Wright (Family Lower Tier): Adults £32 (B £27), Over 65's/Under 21's* £15, Under 17's £12, Under 12's** £5
Steve Bull Stand (Upper Tier): Adults £30 (B £25), Over 65's/Under 21's* £15, Under 17's £12, Under 12's** £10
Stan Cullis Stand: Adults £30 (B £27), Over 65's/Under 21's £15, Under 17's £12, Under 12's** £5
Sir Jack Hayward Stand: Adults £30 (B £27), Over 65's/Under 21's £15, Under 17's £12, Under 12's** £5
Graham Hughes South West Stand: Adults £22, Over 65's/Under 21's £15, Under 17's £12, Under 12's** £5
Away Fans
Steve Bull Stand (Lower Tier):
Adults £30, Over 65's/Under 21's* £15, Under 17's £12, Under 12's** £5
Category A Matches are against; Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
* Under 21's must first become Club members to qualify for this reduced ticket price.
** When accompanied by a paying Adult (includes Over 65's and Under 21's).
Official Programme £3.50.
West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City & Aston Villa.
If you require hotel accommodation in Wolverhampton or Birmingham then first try a hotel booking service provided by Booking.com. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Just input the dates below that you wish to stay and then select from the map the hotel of interest to get more information. The map is centered to the football ground. However, you can drag the map around or click on +/- to reveal more hotels in the City Centre or further afield.
Booking.comWolverhampton Wanderers fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).
For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the Level Playing Field website.
The Club have their own museum, which is open Fridays (12-5pm), Saturdays (11am-4.30pm) & Sundays (11am-3.30pm). Opened in 2012, the museum is full of interesting content even to the non-Wolves fan. It also contains a small cinema and a great interactive football game whereby you can take or score penalties against computerised characters of former Wolves players.
Beat the Goalkeeper Game:
The museum costs £7 for adults and £4.50 concessions, with family tickets available priced £18. See the Wolves Museum website for more details.
Record Attendance
61,305 v Liverpool
FA Cup 5th Round, 11th February 1939
Modern All Seated Attendance Record
31,534 v Chelsea
Premier League, 14th September 2019
Average Attendance
2018-2019: 31,030 (Premier League)
2017-2018: 28,298 (Championship League)
2016-2017: 21,570 (Championship League)
Official Web Site:
Unofficial Web Sites:
If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, then please e-mail me at [email protected] and I'll update the guide.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Southampton
Premier League
Saturday 19th October 2019, 3pm
Eric Spreng (Southampton)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Ground?
I had never been to Wolverhampton or Molineux before and the timing of the game worked in with our plans to travel south from Scotland to go on a short cruise from Southampton the following day.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We left Dunfermline at 7am by car and arrived in Wolverhampton as planned at just after 1pm. We parked up at the Premier Inn where we were staying and checked in to the hotel before heading into town for a pre-match drink.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We headed to the Wetherspoons pub in the middle of Wolverhampton which was only a ten minute walk to the ground but to my amazement we could not get in. We had no colours on but we were asked for our match tickets at the door and when they were identified as 'away' end we were refused entry. We did get into another pub a little bit closer to the ground but we seemed to be the only people in there without Wolves strips on so we didn't feel comfortable. We had a quick drink and left and went to the ground.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
It is not very far from the city centre and can be seen from quite a distance. The away 'end' is unusual in that it runs the entire length of the pitch but we had a good view from our seats right on the half way line. The rest of the ground looked good. A bit more traditional with four separate stands rather than the more modern 'bowl' shape.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
I enjoyed the game which ended in a 1-1 (which was probably fair to both teams). Wolves had two goals chalked off in the first half by VAR, one for hand ball and the other for offside (VAR got them both correct). Southampton went ahead early in the second half but the lead did not last long as Wolves soon equalised from a fairly dodgy looking penalty (which VAR did not overturn !) Both teams had chances to win it after that but there was no further scoring.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
We walked back through the city centre to the Premier Inn where we were staying and had a drink there in the Blue Brick pub (which by this time we realised was the only away friendly pub in town !) After a couple of drinks there we went for a curry and then back to the Premier Inn for a relatively early night.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
I thoroughly enjoyed my day. Had an excellent 300 mile drive down the road, arriving in Wolverhampton on time. The game was good - end to end stuff which could have gone either way. The curry at night was most enjoyable! The only disappointing aspect of the day was the difficulty of getting a drink before the game - if only we had realised that we should have remained at the Premier Inn!
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Torino
Europa League Qualifying Play-Off 2nd Leg
Thursday 29th August 2019, 7:45pm
John Hague (Torino)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Molineux?
As an English based fan of Torino once we saw the draw for the Europa League we had to get tickets. I have been to Molineux a few times and I've always enjoyed the ground. It's a proper football stadium and the crowd are intimidating but fair.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The M6 during rush hour is always a joy to behold and did not disappoint with mile after mile of congestion. By the time we had arrived in Wolverhampton all the car parks mentioned were full and we were getting desperate with about 15 minutes to kick off when a guy pulled out of a free parking space by the Civic Centre. What a result, except he was so slow and getting out of the space. We had a mad dash down to meet our contact to collect tickets and then a huge climb to the top of the Stan Cullis Stand but, even stopping for a pie and a Tango we were in place for kick-off.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
Molineux has certainly grown in size since I was last there but it's a proper football ground with a proud history of European nights under the lights. The seating in the away section seems to be rail seats, there is plenty of leg room and it was really good to have a bit of choice to stand or sit.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game itself was a bit of an anti-climax as a Torino fan. Wolves had two attempts on goal seemingly and scored with both. The second coming moments after Toro had got themselves back into the game with a second-half equaliser. That goal really took the steam out of Torino but the Ultras kept up the singing and were marvelous throughout the game. The Pies, well, certainly the steak and ale were superb. There was a very heavy police presence for this game so maybe the stewards were a little more relaxed and apart from stopping a few fans from smoking they weren't really used. whether it's the rail seating or not but they were pretty relaxed about the persistent standing and I think that's got to be the way forward. Fans want the choice so let's make it a safe choice as at Wolves.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
We got away from the ground quite smartly, the police didn't keep us back and English accents certainly helped. Google Maps soon had us on the ring road and A41 heading towards home.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Result aside? A brilliant night and a great atmosphere. I hope Wolves do well in Europe as I have a lot of love for them as a club.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Cardiff City
Premier League
Saturday 2nd March 2019, 3pm
David (Cardiff City)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Ground?
I was looking forward to visiting this famous old ground. Molineux didn't disappoint as its an impressive stadium if a little dated. I was also hoping that Cardiff might get something out of the game, ha, ha.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The trip from Cardiff to Wolverhampton is straight forward enough and only takes just over two hours. I decided to take the scenic route via the M4 and then through Monmouthshire rather than the M5. We parked in Peel Street car park which was a mistake as it was difficult to get out after the game due to traffic congestion. However, it only cost £2.50. The walk from Peel Street to the ground is only 15 minutes though.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Due to leaving Cardiff late morning we got the ground just in time for kick off. We should have left earlier. Where we were sat on the edge of the away stand there were some heated exchanges between fans at times. The Policing was good though so no trouble developed thankfully.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
The ground seemed to be the same size as the Cardiff City Stadium. The attendance was 31,000. Molineux is an impressive stadium but slightly strange as the away section runs the full length of the touchline. There were Wolves fans were in corporate boxes right behind us and there was another tier of home fans above us.
The View From Our Seats
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Cardiff started brightly and should have been one up but by the 20th minute, we were two nil down. Poor defending yet again our downfall. After conceding Wolves were pretty comfortable although Ryan Bennett should have been sent off. Bizarrely the ref reassured him he was okay. The Stewards were fine, no issues noted. The facilities were pretty standard. The food and drink counter was small but there weren't many queues.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting away was a bit of a nightmare as we were stuck in traffic in Peel Street car park. Then we had to endure torrential rain in dark conditions on the journey home.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Disappointing as Cardiff yet again failed to deliver conceding early goals and then not looking like getting back into the game.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle United
Premier League
Monday 11th February 2019, 8pm
Callum Pattison (Newcastle United)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Molineux?
My second visit to Molineux as a Newcastle supporter. With me being at the University at Wolverhampton, this is a very simple game for me to do so I was very much looking forward to it.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The ground is literally about 10 minute walk from where I live so I had absolutely no issues whatsoever.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Me and mates had a couple of drinks in the Wetherspoons but were informed by staff that we had to be away by 5pm with it being a home fans only pub. There isn't many choices to be fair for pubs to go to in Wolverhampton as they all have bouncers on and you need to be a home fan. So we decided to go to the Bluebrick which is the only designated away fan pub. The drink prices in there are a bit extortionate so we only had one drink and headed to the Rileys sports bar which is a home fan bar however, I know the staff in there fairly well so they were fine with us coming in. Me and my two mates were the only Newcastle supporters in there. We didn't have any issues with the homes, although there were a few dirty looks when they noticed our black and white stripes.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
I like Molineux, its a unique ground with character. A dying art in the English game with all these new modern bowl-like stadiums. However, I am not a fan of where they house the away supporters. They put away supporters in the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand where we are spread from one side of the pitch to the other so its hard to all chant and sing in unison. This stand is also located quite a distance away from the pitch so it can be hard to see what's happening on the other side - especially with us being at ground level.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Not too much to shout about in the first half however an Isaac Hayden goal in the 56th minute put us in front out of nowhere. New signing Almiron then came on to a great ovation and looked lively however, with four minutes added on, Wolves grabbed a late equaliser in the 95th minute through Willy Boly. Very disappointed from a Newcastle perspective but with the balance of play a draw was probably the fair result. I can't fault the stewards and facilities as well at the ground, although a bottle of Carling did cost in excess of £4 though, Premier League Prices.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
The Policing after the game was shocking, away fans and home fans all leaving together and it only takes one idiot to start something for everyone else to start causing trouble. Fortunately, that wasn't the case but I have seen it happen in the past at Wolves. Simple enough for me to get home though, just a straightforward walk back home.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A great day and it makes a nice change having an away day on my doorstep. Disappointing way to end the game but that 's football for you.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool
FA Cup 3rd Round
Monday 7th January 2019, 7:45pm
Russ Poole (Liverpool)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?
The third round of the FA Cup had drawn us a difficult tie away to Wolves and Liverpool squad rotation was always going to happen. So hopes weren’t massive going into the game but it was another ground ticked off following Liverpool.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Drove down the down the M6 and aimed for the train station. I parked in there which cost around £10 but we knew it was secure so I didn’t mind too much about the price.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We went to the Bluebrick behind the train station which is labelled as the away fans pub. A couple of beers and then we took around a ten minute walk to Molineux. The ground is not far away at all and on the way, the police were on hand to guide us also.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Molineux?
In the lights of the night, the ground looked great. We cut it quite fine in getting in for kick off, so didn’t take much in, just bought a match badge and found our entrance and got into the concourse for a few songs.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Liverpool were terrible, a lot of changes, with a mixture of youngsters and rotation players played in the match. The senior figures were poor and the only sparks were very bright performances from teenagers Rafa Camacho and Ki Jana. However Wolves won 2-1 with a superb strike from Ruben Neves, what a player that young man is as well.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Very easy. I took the same walk back to the train station, paid for our parking and we were back on the M6 in ten/fifteen minutes and then an easy journey home!
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Great day out with a couple of mates. The result was slightly disappointing but you can’t complain too much with a changed side. I would return to Wolves again next season if possible.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool
Premier League
Friday 21st December 2018, 8pm
Stefan (Liverpool)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Molineux?
The first of our festive fixtures. I always love the Christmas period for football. Having been to Wolves a few times before I know it's a pretty good day and was definitely going whatever the day/time television coverage chose for us!
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Went by car due to kick off time and parked at the Premier Inn car park mentioned in other reviews on here. Paid in advance over the internet. At £3.50 it was a bargain!
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Went in the Bluebrick Bar by the Premier Inn for one then headed into town for a few beers. I'd read how difficult it was to get into the pubs but I've never had any trouble before and we didn't have any trouble this time either. As long as you aren't wearing colours and behaving you are fine. The Wolves fans we spoke to were okay. Neither friendly nor abusive.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
Molineux has been extended since our last visit and looks good as you walk towards it from town at night, with the lights on. One thing I don't like is the away section. Having the whole length of the side stand spreads the 3000 fans out too much and it's hard to get everyone singing the same song at the same time. Would much prefer 3000 seats in the stand behind the goal. Apart from that everything is fine. plenty of toilets and space around the back.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
It was a good game played in awful conditions. Some Wolves fans said afterwards that we aren't the best team they have played this season. probably their way of having a dig because they lost 2-0. The conditions were a leveller and we did well to beat a decent Wolves team. The atmosphere wasn't as good as it's been on a couple of my previous visits, but it wasn't bad. Had the usual boring "sign on" and "feed the scousers" drivel, but it's expected from certain clubs fans. I suppose they see it as banter. I didn't like the fake atmosphere created with fireworks and music booming out right until kick off. Felt more like a New Years Eve party!
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Easy really. Let us straight out and police guided us around the ring road to the city centre rather than let us walk the way we'd got there through town. Made it out of Wolverhampton pretty quickly once in the car.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
I enjoyed the night and the game. Wolverhampton is a good away trip. As long as you don't attract attention to yourself you are fine.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Bournemouth
Premier League
Saturday 15th December 2018, 3pm
Paul Sheppard (AFC Bournemouth)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Ground?
I had been to Molineux as a neutral and enjoyed it so was looking forward to going as an away fan as it's a decent stadium.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Pretty easy. As advised on this website I headed for Kennedy Road and found some free parking on an industrial estate. I got there almost two hours before kick off so found a place easily. The ground was about a ten minute walk from here.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
As is often the case I looked for the food stall outside the ground with the biggest queue as this is usually a sign of good food and as usual this paid dividends with some cracking chips with curry sauce for £2.50. Limited interaction with home fans but they were friendly enough when I was parking and asking about any restrictions.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
I had seen the ground before but the away section and facilitates were impressive. A good away following helped.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game was okay but we didn't look our usual selves and were sucker punched on the break twice. The weather was atrocious with cold sideways rain making the front rows impossible to stand in as they were waterlogged. To be honest it was a relief when the final whistle went as I have only ever been colder at Oldham and Accrington and the hot food and drink on offer was not offering much compensation!
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
I was a little disorientated when leaving the ground but asked a policeman and was pointed in the right direction. My mate used Google Maps on his phone to make sure we got away and headed down south reasonably quickly.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
One to forget frankly. When your chips and curry are the highlight of the afternoon you know it's not been a good away day. Nice enough ground but the weather was so poor it was one of those few occasions when I was absolutely relieved to get back in my car and away.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Watford
Premier League
Saturday 20th October 2018, 3pm
Dave (Watford)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Ground?
It has been a while since we've been in the same division and ultimately it was an easy awayday.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I drove from Watford to Wolverhampton and parked in the Novotel car park. Molineux is only a ten-minute walk from there. The hotel allows you to pay for a day's parking and you can make use of the facilities including the loos and the cash bar. Also, a very good option to stay the night if need be.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I picked up the obligatory match programme and then went straight into the away end. Had a cheeseburger and a pint of Carling for £7.60 and then we took our seats. The home fans were relatively intimating with a number of issues after the game, and even during the match. Wolves fans in the Stan Cullis end were goading the away support. It was not for the faint-hearted.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
Molineux is a decent sized ground. It is definitely suited to Premier League football.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
A brilliant result for Watford who scored two goals in a minute to secure an unexpected 0-2 win! The atmosphere from the home support was terrible as you'd expect from the scoreline. The half time queues for refreshments were atrocious and they really could have done with a few more in the kiosk. The stewards were no hassle whatsoever.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
A fantastic win for us meant that unfortunately, the home support were hostile upon leaving the ground. Fisticuffs and a few arrests but from my point of view, we got back to the hotel and cooled off in the bar. We were lucky to avoid any of the unpleasant scenes.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Still a great awayday and one I'll do again next season.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Southampton
Premier League
Saturday 29th September 2018, 3pm
Adam (Southampton)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Molineux?
Looking forward to visiting as Wolves were a newly promoted side. Although I wasn't expecting to come away with more than a point at best!
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I took the train direct to Wolverhampton. The Molineux Stadium was about 15 minutes walk away from the railway station.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I went to the Wetherspoons in town fairly early and stayed until near kick off. The home fans seemed fairly typical, however, the almost universal ban on away fans from pubs suggests they aren't always friendly (see below).
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
Molineux is fairly decent, consisting of four separate stands. So it makes a change from the 'bowl' design stadiums.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Wolves fans were in pretty good voice which was unsurprising considering their great start to the season. The facilities inside the ground were pretty standard.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Absolutely fine on foot, roads typically busy for cars post-match.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
The place isn't particularly welcoming and the whole city is a bit of a 1970's throwback. All the pubs are festooned with 'HOME FANS ONLY' signs, and I mean ALL of them. The only designated place for away fans is the bar in the Premier Inn by the station. Even the Wetherspoons is home only, however, we were there early with no colours so managed to get in (if you can pass for not football fans I imagine you'd be okay most of the time). At the stadium there isn't a single card machine in the away end, so if you want any food or drink make sure you have cash (something you aren't pre-warned about). The away end is the lower section by the side of the pitch meaning you have home fans on either side and above you, you are also spread very thinly meaning it's difficult to chant in unison and the shallow incline means it's easy to have your view blocked by those in front. All in all, an interesting experience but I won't rush back.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City
Premier League
Saturday 26th August 2018, 12.30pm
Stephen Welch (Manchester City)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Ground itself?
I hadn't been for a while and always look forward to an away game driving the lads by minibus.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
An easy journey down, despite the M6 being shut between Junction 11 and Junction 12, due to a police incident. But as we were coming off at Junction 13 then it wasn't a problem. But coming back after the match there was a tailback probably due to the same incident. I found a place to park near the Bluebrick pub but they were charging £15 so found a small car park near the ground on Waterloo Rd (5 minutes from ground) for £10. It cost £5 for cars.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We went to the Bluebrick pub for a pint, no charge to get in. The home fans I encountered were fine and no problems.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
The away end was unusual in that you were on the side opposite the dugouts which I prefer and had a good view. Also it was strange seeing the so-called "Gene Kelly Stand" like we had at Maine Road, some years ago. But very impressive and the home fans gave great vocal support, probably the loudest I have heard in ages.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc.
City weren't up to their usual high standard and Wolves raised their game. However their goal was handball which no one could have spotted. I didn't try the food as there were long queues before the game and at half time.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Usual match day tailbacks, plus the M6 had problems mentioned above.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A good day and it felt strange getting home so early being an early 12.30 kick off.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Fulham
Championship League
Friday 3rd November 2017, 7.45pm
Phil Back (Doing the 134)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Ground?
The start of a three-game trip to the West Midlands, allowing me to bag three new grounds in a weekend.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Molineux is an exceptionally easy ground to find. I caught the bus outside my Birmingham hotel to Wolverhampton Bus Station and walked the ten minute journey to the ground from there.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Ate a dodgy kebab in the town centre but then discovered a huge choice of food stands outside the Molineux ground.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
This is a magnificent ground, redolent of a long history of (mostly past) success. Molineux as a city centre ground, this is right up there with the best Championship stadia. Fulham had brought some support but Wolves could go top with a win, so the home support was very vocal.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Wolves dominated the game and won comfortably enough with two first half goals from set pieces. Fulham had lots of possession but hardly threatened at all and missed their one golden opportunity when the keeper spilled the ball. Fans and stewards very friendly and a win always helps people feel happy, especially when it means table-topping.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
A somewhat crowded exit tunnel back to the town centre and a long wait fro the bus back to my hotel (which was full and turning late-comers away) but straightforward enough.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A good game played on a good ground. Number 68 of the current 92 English grounds under my belt to go with the 42 Scottish ones already done.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Bristol Rovers
League Cup Third Round
Tuesday 19th September 2017, 7.45pm
Yaz Shah (Bristol Rovers fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Ground?
Playing against a Championship club (again) in second place in the League with a chance to progress. I have never been to the Molineux ground so worth going.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I left from my home near London at 1.30pm. It was a difficult journey up the M1 from Harrow. I joined at Junction 5 only to be then informed that the M1 was closed at between Junction 15 and Junction 16 due to suspected package and was redirected onto M25 and M40. I'm glad that I did. M40 chokka with lorries but okay until Banbury when we had three police cars come past and set up a rolling road block on each lane. About 10 minutes later a car comes speeding on hard shoulder followed by several more police cars. A chase then ensues in front of us as we are slowly moving but kept at a safe distance by one police car as the other two had joined in the chase. Six police cars attempt to block in the speeding car, to trap it, but it manages to get away and we see them disappearing around the corner. I never saw the police cars again as we carried on. I decided to take M42 South as I thought North may be full up and then take A38 North and A491 and then A459 to Wolverhampton. I followed the Wolverhampton Ring Road West around and then came to the Molineux ground and parked in the Red Hill Street car park for £5. This was about 6:15pm so almost four hours in all to do the journey. I was advised that the car park gates are normally locked 45 minutes after the game but not tonight.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I looked around the outside of Molineux, had tea and chatted to a few Rovers fans. I visited the nearby Asda but there was no cafe inside. The home fans were okay but seemed to keep to themselves.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
The away section in the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand was okay but we were required to sit. We had 2,000 fans there as we had sold out the allocated lower tier. I had a front row seat and my legs were cramped against the perimeter wall but lucky next to stairs so could put my legs out that way. It was a very low view and the stand was curved out away from the pitch in the centre. The other stands looked okay. The total attendance was 12,700.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
It was a great game to watch that went to extra time before we eventually lost 1-0. Our lads played with full commitment and at times were better. We hit the bar and post and had numerous chances. Our fans outsang them for the whole match creating a great atmosphere. Too big a queue at the one food stand each time I looked, so I did not try. Lots of stewards out front who stood up if the fans stood up when there was any action. [Social media - a lot of Wolves fans said we deserved better and that our fans were the noisiest they had seen for years].
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
It was easy to get away from the ground around the Ring Road and onto the M6 South. I got home around 1.15am, when leaving just before 11pm. The M6 was closed again but this time at Junction 1, which is the junction with the M1. So I took the M42 South and then the M40 with a half hour stop at Cherwell Services.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
It was a great game with two equally balanced sides. Wolves had pace and height and were better in the first half and Rovers were better in the secondhand. The two goalies were brilliant. Some of our lads had their best games all season. Great atmosphere created by the visiting Gas fans. It was an enjoyable night out and I would visit Molineux again. PS: Westway Oils near Wolves sell cheap and very good oil and lubricants for cars. Picked up 20L 5W-30 semi synthetic for just over £42 to offset the trip cost.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Cardiff City
Football League Championship
Saturday 19th August 2017, 3pm
Tony Moore (Cardiff City)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Stadium?
Both teams were flying high in their respective promotion pushes. Three wins from three for the two teams meant this was going to be a passionate, lively affair both on the pitch and off. On top of this, I had never visited Molineux, so this was a chance to tick that ground off the list.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The journey was okay, travelling from Anglesey to Wolverhampton and making it in about three and a half hours. I drove along the A55, before going onto the A41. The club had hired out a nearby multi-storey, where fans both home and away were parking. Luckily they weren't an aggressive bunch!
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I walked about fifteen minutes with some Wolves fans to the ground. As I was quite pressed for time, I just met up with some Bluebirds fans I knew and went straight inside.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
We were sitting on the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand, which is not behind a goal, but opposite the dugouts. The stadium was quite packed, and there was decent seating for away fans. I could see much confectionery on sale within the stadium though, so if you want a snack, pick one up pre-game!
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
A massive 2-1 win for Cardiff, with a winning goal from former Wolves man Nathaniel Mendez-Laing sent the travelling contingent home in a buoyant mood. The atmosphere was decent from both sets of fans, though a lot of Wolves fans left after the Mendez goal, despite it being only 2-1 on 80 minutes! Disappointing to be honest.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Walked out and straight to the car park. Traffic was busy but I was out of the city and back on the A41 after fifteen minutes or so.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A good day out. I would certainly go back to Molineux, but rather as part of a group as I don't like driving in cities, and I feel there is a much better atmosphere that way.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle United
Football Championship League
Saturday 11th February 2017, 5.30pm
Christopher (Newcastle United fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Ground?
Newcastle United were in a good position in the league, recently overtaking Brighton to the top position. Being relatively new to away games, Molineux was another one to cross off with a few of my friends.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We cheated and got the supporters bus down. We were parked a few streets away from the ground, just over the road from the ring road and within walking distance of the town centre.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
As it was a late 5.30pm kick off and our coach was booked to arrive for a 3pm kick off time, then we had a few hours to kill. There was a large Police presence around the city centre and we were barred from pretty much every bar and pub. In a Police officers words 'Wolves fans are very territorial', even Wetherspoons and Hungry Horse banned away fans from entering. We did manage to find a nice pub that sold craft ale on Lichfield street, however it is worth noting that it has a small capacity and you have to get there early. Around the city centre everyone seemed okay with us, we never really came into contact with many Wolves fans due to not being allowed in most pubs, but the ones we did come across were pleasant.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux stadium?
The Molineux ground seemed okay. Outside there were plenty of places to get a pie, chips or burgers. They even had a few vans selling curries which isn't something that I'm used too in Newcastle. We were sat in the Steve Bull Stand at one side of the pitch and the seats were cramped, but we stood up anyway, I understand that in the Stan Cullis Stand where some of our other supporters were located you can have a better view of the pitch. Although the view for us was okay, it was a little difficult to see the line on the other side of the pitch and if players were in the way then it could be hard to see what was going on, but it wasn't a view to complain too much about. It is worth noting that when entering the stands via the concourse the stewards were not letting you enter anywhere else then where it was stated on your tickets, but once in you are generally free to go and sit with people you know, instead of being sat in your allocated seat.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
As the Newcastle fans were located in in two different stands and all across the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand it was a little difficult to have songs going in unison. Apart from half of the Jack Harris Stand where some home supporters were singing and some trying to start some aggro. Some of my friends were sat at the opposite side and afterwards told us that Wolves fans were throwing coins and all sorts at them, all whilst the stewards just stood there watching. At half time we went to get some refreshments, but the queue never seemed to go down, I managed to my order in before the Police ordered the kiosks to be shut just before the end of half time. I'd recommend getting something to eat and drink from one of the vans outside the ground, or somewhere else in the city centre. The game itself wasn't all that good from a Newcastle point of view, but we managed to sneak the 1-0 win.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
We were warned before the end of the game that we would be escorted out, and that was the case. There seemed to a few Wolves fans trying to start things, but the Policing did their job well and in a friendly manner.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Well the Molineux stadium was okay and we got the result. But I can't help feel that the attitude of some of the Wolves fans was over the top though. Plus there is no need for away fans to be restricted to only one pub. The people we did meet all seemed friendly, but the behaviour of others just spoils it from being a day out. Although I never feared for my safety, I can't help but feel that all it will take is for one away fan to react and it will all kick off. In light of this and the fact that in certain areas of the ground our fans were getting things thrown at us, then it's not an away tie that I would recommend taking children, disabled, or older people to. Although the stewards were friendly to us, they let themselves down by allowing some of the home support to behave the way they did and that is something that the club needs to look at.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle United
Football Championship League
Saturday 11th February 2017, 5.30pm
Paul (Newcastle United fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Ground?
As I hadn't been to Molineux or indeed Wolverhampton before, so looking forward to a new ground and a change of scenery. Also as I live in the isle of Man I can only normally get to about ten games a season so any opportunity to see a Newcastle match is one to be savoured.
Ho w easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I flew into Birmingham Airport from the Isle of Man. I then got a train from Birmingham International Station which is right next to the Airport to Wolverhampton. There was a regular service with trains running every 15 minutes. On arrival in Wolverhampton, it as fairly easy from the station to locate the Molineux Stadium.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I found it shocking that every pub we tried to get into in the City Centre had bouncers on the door which turned away Newcastle fans. Some Wolves supporters who were standing outside one of the pubs smoking, suggested that we head to a bar called the Bluebrick. When we got there we were all surprised to find that the Bluebrick Bar was attached to a Premier Inn Hotel. We charged a £2 entry fee each to get in, but the bar was full of Newcastle fans and the bouncers and staff very all friendly. The bar is not very big and with around 200 fans in there it was very crowded.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
Molineux is in an ideal location to get to from City Centre. I didn't think that the ground was was anything special but it is well designed and I had a great view from where I was sitting in the Stan Cullis Stand. Most of the Newcastle fans were housed in the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand to the left of us, where I believe the view wasn't as good.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
This was the worst game I have watched all season. There were very few chances created by either side. The Newcastle fans were as good as ever, even though many were located on one side of the pitch, which seems a strange place to locate the away fans at Molineux. I didn't hear the Wolves fans at all.Nevertheless Newcastle came away with the three points with Mitrovic scoring for the Magpies just before half time.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Was very easy to get out and to be honest couldn't wait to leave on a freezing cold night. Walked back to the station to take a train to Liverpool where I was staying for the night.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
I wouldn't recommend Molineux for visiting fans, the complete lack of pubs available to away fans is a disgrace. Still got the three points though :)
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Aston Villa
Football Championship League
Saturday 14th January 2017, 5.30pm
Connor Smith (Aston Villa fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Molineux?
I was really looking forward to this game because it being a local Derby and I have never been to Molineux. So I was determined to tick this one of my list. Plus I've heard that Wolves has a good atmosphere and its a traditional old ground.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I got the local train from Birmingham New Street to Wolverhampton, which only took around 20 minutes. Then It only took about a ten minute to walk from the station to the Molineux ground, which is very easy to find. It also helped there being Police everywhere to direct us, but still very easy!
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I had a few drinks in the Bohemian Bar on Lichfield Street, which is only a five minute walk from the station. Then had one in the Hogshead. I had no major problems with the home fans but I would strongly advise not to wear colours around city centre as some who did didn't get a warm welcome, put it that way. Also worth a mention that only the Bohemian and Hogshead allowed me in, the others turned me away (please note that the Hogshead no longer admits away fans - Ed), so be aware that there are a limited choice of pubs for away fans to drink in.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Molineux?
As you walk down Camp Street down the hill, the Stan Cullis Stand just over shadows the view. I didn't get chance to walk round all the ground, but I popped into Asda just before I went in and from there the Stan Cullis Stand loks pretty amazing. My first impression of the ground inside was that it looks bigger than it does on television and all three stands stood out with their bright orange seats! My only problem was that my view was not so good being smack bang on the half way line and Wolves fans being above us! Also the concourse is very dingy and old fashioned which oddly I liked.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
From a Villa's point of view, it was awful. We had no leaders on the pitch and no decent striker up front. Villa only created one chance in the game. Wolves were way better than us, more heart and passion. The atmosphere was electric. With more than 27,000 in Molinuex and under the lights. The only downfall was at the end of the game, we had coins and some Wolves fans shouting abuse at us which made us feel quite uncomfortable.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting away was a bit of a nightmare. The Police had put in place road restrictions which limited walking space, we were like sheep. Once we got off Camp Street it was a pretty straightforward walk to the station. There were a couple of incidents on the ring road with Police trying to move Wolves fans on, other than that no more problems.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Overall a not a very good day out, losing a local Derby and the fact that our players never tried. The only good part about today was the tribute to Graham Taylor! Would advise not to wear colours around city centre and the Molineux ground as some home fans weren't very welcoming!
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Queens Park Rangers
Football Championship League
Saturday 31st December 2016, 3pm
Joe Hylton (Queens Park Rangers fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Molineux?
I wasn't looking forward to this match at all... QPR had lost the previous six consecutive games. Plus as this game was being played on New Year's Eve, our usual 1700 Hooped away support for a Mild lands match was sadly shrunk to no more than 500.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
No problems driving from West London, the journey took just over three hours in total with a short stop off at a service station. I recommend parking your vehicle in the Wolverhampton Civic Centre multi-story car-park on Wulfruna Street, (sat-nav post code WV1 1RQ) I parked at 1pm and left at 5.15pm, it cost me £6.50p well worth it in a well lit, safe, CCTV clean environment... and, it's only a five minute walk to the away end from the car park.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Just had a coffee in a Costa Cafe near the car-park, but there are plenty of the usual food outlets near by as your in the town centre. Didn't mix or speak with the Wolves fans, the whole area was very low key and completely relaxed. I can't comment on a pub for away supporters as we gave them a miss.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
I've been to Wolves many times, my first venture there was way back in 1975. Molinuex has changed so much over the years, and now looks really impressive. It's been a very lucky away ground for QPR. I've seen The R's win there maybe half a dozen times.Sadly I have reservations about the away section on the half way line, just because of the Wolves fans who are seated above us. You get idiots all clubs, sadly at the end of the game several QPR supporters got spat on and had objects dropped on them from the above section, including my wife, by these so-called Wolves fans... just disgusting! I spoke with several stewards on the way out about the incident, they assured me that my complaint would be addressed, I'm not holding my breath on that one!
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Not brilliant by any means, Wolves are not much better than QPR, we were desperate for any result and trying to pull away from a relegation place. The home support in the stand to our left are very vocal, the rest of the stadium are the total opposite, not a great atmosphere due to two very average sides on the park. But in saying that, QPR still managed to win 2-1 with a very late goal from our Polish winger Pawel Wszolek, as I said before, Rangers were desperate to end a string of defeats.A win is a win, so I was a very very happy Hoop. Good friendly stewards, the usual pies/beers on the concourse. Just that spitting incident at the final whistle that spoilt the day for some of our supporters.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
No problems getting away from the ground and the car-park, I was back on the M6 within 20 minutes of leaving the town centre.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
QPR won, so it's always a good day when you win away. Plus, the game wasn't on Sky TV, and it was a traditional 3pm kick off on a Saturday afternoon, so job done in my book. Last of all, the new stand to the right of the away section was only just about two thirds full with home fans. It had a large section of the stand cordoned off... just full empty seats... seats that could easily hold possibly 2500 away supporters. I just don't understand the logic behind Wolves seating the away fans on the half-way line, to endure dropped objects and filthy spitting from some Wolves fans seated above, it's just so wrong on every level. This could easily be prevented by housing the away support in the empty seated area to the right of the present away area, then you'd also be behind the goal.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leeds United
Football Championship League
Saturday 22nd October 2016, 3pm
Shaun Tully (Leeds United fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Ground?
I was interested to see Molineux as its a well known old ground.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
From the north pretty easy. Had pre booked parking in a light industrial estate off of Fox's Lane to the north of Molineux.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
As I was driving no pubs were involved but my son has a things for Nando's so we visited one about a mile away.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
I was pretty impressed with Molineux. Although it is an old ground it has been done up so to speak so the stands all look impressive on each side (unlike Ewood Park and indeed for that matter our own Elland Road where an old stand remains down one length of the pitch).
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Wolves chose that day not to serve alcohol to the away fans (maybe our reputation goes before us?!!) as it was clear that alcohol can be made available in the ground. The stewards seemed friendly enough and the end I was at was near the Jack Haywood Stand where the more 'vocal' home fans base themselves, meaning there was plenty of 'banter' The atmosphere wasn't bad compared to some other away games I've been to, although at the time of writing Wolves are going through a poor patch and so once we took the lead the home fans seemed resigned to their fate and became very quiet.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Fox's lane is not good for a quick getaway. From getting into the car to getting onto the A449 took about 25 minutes. The A449 itself flowed reasonably well up to the M6 however and by 7pm we were at Manchester Airport, for our flight back to Ireland
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
I enjoyed the experience although being given the length of the pitch as the away end rather than in a corner or behind a goal means the supporters are more spread out making it harder to create good atmosphere.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brentford
Football Championship League
Saturday 24th September 2016, 3pm
Thomas Inglis (Visiting Dundee United Fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux Ground?
This was my second visit to the city. I first came down way back in 1985 to do the Wolverhampton Marathon (some 30 years ago, and about 3 stone lighter) I had a look around the outside of Molineux then, now it was a chance to get inside for my English ground visit No.66.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I got the Megabus from Dundee to Birmingham (£6 return ) on the Friday night. I then got train from Birmingham to Wolverhampton on the morning of the game. From town centre, it is fairly easy to follow fans towards the Molineux ground.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Arriving in Wolverhampton around 10am. I had a look around the central shopping area and got some breakfast. I put on a couple of football bets, then decided to have a few pints. I went to the 'Billy Wright', The Still and to McGhees (Irish bar). Chatted to a few of the locals, who were friendly enough. Some of the older guys reckoned a player that came from Dundee United (my team) to Wolves was one of their greats - Andy Gray - who helped them win a League Cup.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Molineux?
I again had a wander round the stadium, and it looked quite impressive. I took a couple of pictures at the Steve Bull Stand and of the Stan Cullis Statue. Once inside I took my seat in the 'Stan Cullis' Stand in the lower tier and it was a great view - which appeared to be the case from all the stands.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The first half main talking point, was a dance into the box by Teixeira for Wolves, beating four players then being chopped down for a 'stonewall penalty,' which the referee didn't give. The second half burst into life with a goal every 10 minutes. Teixeira got a double on 47 and 57 minutes then Brentford pulled a goal back on 67 minutes through Kai Kai. Wolves finished off the game with a breakaway goal in injury time from Cavaleiro for a well deserved win. The Wolves fans in the 20,600 crowd were in fine singing voice throughout. Stewards helpful with directions, toilets fine, standard pies and drinks.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
No problem walking back to town centre for a couple of beers and watching the tea time game.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
As always a good day out, when you get a few goals in a decent game, and as a neutral you don't mind which end they go in.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers
Football Championship League
Saturday 9th April 2016, 3pm
Daniel Ainsworth (Blackburn Rovers fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Molineux?
I have started following the Rovers this year and the concessionary ticket was cheap-ish (£14), so I decided to make the trip to Molineux with friends.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We travelled on one of the official supporters coaches. On arrival at Molineux the coach parked only a five minute walk away from the stadium.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We arrived around 2:30pm so we just purchased a programme from one of the sellers at a cost of £3 and then we went straight into the ground.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Molineux?
The away end wasn't an end as such, but was the lower tier of one of the side stands, with Wolves fans seated above us. The ground itself looked nice and was pretty full apart from one of the ends that looked only half full.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game was a lacklustre 0-0 draw and after about 60 minutes, Wolves registered their first shot on target which prompted the largest applause of the match. Blackburn had three injury time chances and would have won if it wasn't for the great form of the Wolves keeper, Carl Ikeme. The atmosphere was great with us and the Wolves fans exchanging the chants about Aston Villa and Bolton (both local rivals), going down from the Premier League and Championship respectively. The stewards were one word and one word only - horrendous. We were all stood up singing at the beginning of the game and they forced all of us to sit down, when all we wanted was to watch and enjoy the game. A funny part about the game when we was chanting about our striker Chris Brown (who has never scored for us) and chanting "If Brown scores we're on the pitch" so the stewards moved in front of the stand just in case there was going to be a pitch invasion!
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
We walked back to the coaches after buying food from a burger van outside the ground, which was nice and cheap.(£3.50 for chips and burger).
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Poor game but generally a good day out, although the stewarding could have been better.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Preston North End
Football Championship League
Saturday 13th February 2016, 3pm
Steve Kelly (Preston North End fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux ground?
I have not been to the revamped Molineux. My last visit being in the late 1990's.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Finding the ground is very easy. Located within easy walking of the town centre, it is very hard to miss with the orange facade of the stands. Very good signage to the ground as well from the motorway and as you enter Wolverhampton. The train station is also only a 10 -15 minute walk away from Molineux.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
As a group of us travelled down we met up and stayed at the Novotel for the night. Had a couple of drinks at the hotel then walked down to the ground. No animosity or signs of any hostility in and around the ground that I saw.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux Stadium?
Molineux looks quite impressive and is a modern bright stadium. Great views of the game as we were situated in the lower section of the Steve Bull Stand which runs along the length of the pitch. The only problem with this away section is that you are spread out along the ground so that it is difficult for the away end to sing in unison as you would if you were all located together in one section. Having said that, thanks to scoring two goals and winning the game 2-1 there was plenty of singing to be hear from the North End fans.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game itself was great from an away supporters perspective, with a very good atmosphere. Wolves were booed off the pitch at both half time and full time by their own supporters, which means that North End did a good job on the Wolves. In all fairness a 2-1 scoreline flattered Wolves .
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
No problems in getting away from the ground. It's a quick five minute stroll into the town centre where we mingled with quite a number of Wolves fans and talked about the game over a pint.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
I have visited over 54 grounds now on my travels and I would certainly rate Molineux high up on the list. Not quite making the top ten but this is certainly a nice modern, well built stadium.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Preston North End
Championship League
Saturday, February 13th 2016, 3pm
Mike Bloor (Preston North End fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Molineux ground?
I was heading down to Wolves with three friends from University who all wanted to come for different reasons and I'd never been with them to a football match so it was something new. Also, after the earlier game in the season, when Preston should have beaten Wolves at Deepdale and with Preston improving and Wolves faltering, I was confident that we would get a good result.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We arrived on one of the supporters coaches, which parked on the opposite side of the road from Molineux. The away end was right in front of us so it was simple to find our stand.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We went in an hour before kick off and watched the warm ups and have a beer.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Molineux Stadium?
The only away game I'd been to previously was at Burnley. Now Turf Moor wasn't exactly the trendiest stadium, so it was nice to have non wooden seats, but we stood for the match anyway. Molineux was big and impressive and we had a good view since we were side on so for both halves we didn't have any problems with the view.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
It felt like Preston were the home team, Preston dominated the first half which got the fans going, also with the anniversary of Tom Finney, his name was chanted from the first few minutes which go the fans and team going and it was good to go wild when we scored.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting away was a simple task since the coaches were only two minutes walk up the road from us.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Overall it was a class day since we won. I would just like to say for a reasonably big club in the championship and a possible Premier standard stadium, the Wolves team are vastly underachieving.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v MK Dons
Championship League
Saturday 28th November 2015, 3pm
David Drysdale (MK Dons fan)
Why were you looking forward to visiting the Molineux football ground?
Firstly it was a new stadium for me, Molineux has always looked an impressive ground in photos I've seen. When both MK and Wolves were in League One a couple of seasons ago they brought nearly 10,000 fans down to Milton Keynes and a suitably impressive atmosphere with it.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We managed to find free parking in Kennedy Road (off Culwell Street) which is the quiet industrial estate back roads opposite Wolverhampton train station, which is where a lot of Wolves fans seem to park. It's about a 10 minute walk to the ground, just up past the University campus/student accommodation, it was no problem at all.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We arrived early so decided to get some food outside the ground. There is quite a variety of hot food vans/stalls outside the ground itself, more variety than I have seen elsewhere including Indian food and Hog Roast. We tucked into a pork, apple and stuffing bap which was around £3.50 before heading into the ground. We had only sold around 700 tickets for the game so the away concourse area was empty(ish) and we had no problems being served quickly. The club sell Bank's Bitter and Carling lager as well as cider and all the usual fare so we had a couple of beers enjoying the atmosphere. Home fans were friendly enough, no issues whatsoever. I've heard that Wolves fans were some of the more passionate in the country, and they were certainly a loud bunch particularly at one end behind the goal. No problems whatsoever.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Molineux stadium?
One of the worst away seating areas I've been to in the country. We were sat in the Steve Bull Stand in the lower tier with home supporters positioned behind and above us in the upper tier which could have been dangerous on the wrong day. The view is pretty poor - we were about 20 foot away from the touchline and level with the pitch so our view was pretty poor overall. Not great Wolves! The stadium overall however is impressive, everything is painted in Wolves' colours and the new stand behind the goal looks very modern, just a shame about the away area.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Pretty dull affair from two poor performing teams. Wolves had the slight upper hand and should have gone ahead through several Afobe chances but MK's keeper (Dave Martin) was in top form. It ended in a dull 0-0 draw. The atmosphere was fairly flat for most of the game because of the poor performances from both sides. The Wolves fans behind the goal to the left hand side of the away section were very loud on occasion, some of the loudest home support I've heard in a while. Stewards were some of the best I've ever come across, very relaxed and friendly and allowed us to move around/stand when suitable.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
No problems, easy getting out and a 10 minute walk back to the car in the rain, but no problems at all.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A dull game itself, but I enjoyed the experience. The stadium is impressive and there is plenty of choice outside of the ground food wise. The only real negative was the poor away area which is one of the worst views in the country, so far back from the pitch and playing level.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Preston North End
League One
Saturday, January 11th 2014, 3pm
Paul Willott (Preston North End fan)
There are few grounds for me quite as redolent of footballing glory than Molineux, so I was very keen to pay another visit to this hallowed turf. Furthermore, with the season well advanced and both clubs very firmly established in the thick of the promotion push, the contest on offer of 3rd versus 4th in the table was extremely mouth-watering.
Having recently returned from the world of being single, it was an added bonus to have my missus happily join me on this excursion having decided that she quite likes the world of following my home-town club. Hence we drove up from the south without incident and opted to ditch the car in one of the town centre multi-storey car-parks.
Finding the ground itself I have never found easy as it seems to nestle in a hollow beneath and just outside the ring road. I entertained my partner with stories of decades past when pre-google maps one simply used to drive to a town and look for the floodlight pylons which caught me out as in my experience you had to nearly trip over the floodlights before you found the ground in Wolverhampton.......fortunately with past experience to rely upon and a few minutes with maps on the internet the night before we had no such problems on this trip.
We ambled down through the underpass towards the ground and started to soak up the atmosphere of the big clash between two of the oldest clubs in the land ahead of us, wandering around the ground as we did so to see the statue of Billy Wright. I was further impressed to see the stand bearing the name of this great player adorned with several huge picture banners of some halcyon moments of the heyday of this famous old club and I noticed similarly that my partner was equally impressed.
Since my previous visit , the Stan Cullis Stand has been rebuilt which in some ways for me slightly offsets the balance and appearance of the ground. It used to have a very symmetrical and smart appearance, but there can be no argument that the new structure is indeed impressive, and I note that had the club not suffered two successive relegations then the rebuilding of other stands in a similar theme would have perhaps continued. I was also interested to note the subtle differences in construction evident on the Steve Bull and Billy Wright stands. To the casual observer, they may appear identical, but one closer inspection one clearly bears the hallmarks of 70s style construction, whereas the other (the Billy Wright stand ) is clearly from a more recent epoch of construction techniques.
Molineux is awash outside with burger vans and stalls to choose from, so we happily stuffed our faces before entering the ground. Due to the high demand for tickets for this eagerly anticipated clash, with some 3,500 away supporters tickets having sold out, some were put in the Steve Bull stand lower tier, but we were the lucky ones able to enjoy the relative comfort of the new seats in a section of the new Stan Cullis stand.
Perhaps not surprisingly the atmosphere was absolutely crackling long before kick-off, as an expectant away crowd fancied another 3 points, having only lost once on our travels thus far in the league. Equally the home fans were just as keen to raise the roof to urge their boys on to win a crucial show-down against promotion rivals. Despite a heavy presence of both stewards and police, there was no silly nonsense from either quarter and the whole afternoon was a safe and enjoyable one, if noisy and atmospheric.
I was certainly one of those cautiously optimistic that Preston would fare quite well, coming off a long unbeaten run, especially with Wolves having seemed to have lost a bit of momentum, but as the match got underway, the early pace was set by the home team. In truth, Preston never got into any sort of rhythm, passing and tackling seemed a trifle difficult and I sensed an air of disorganisation in the back line for the first time this season. There could be no complaints really. Although Preston did get the ball in the back of the net it was ruled offside, and it was very much against the run of play, and wolves took a deserved 1-0 lead in at the break.
A second goal never seemed too far away, and it duly came for Wolves with a very well worked move in the second half, and thats the way it stayed. Hence the sun went down over a happy Molineux as 3,500 disappointed Preston fans headed for the exits at the final whistle.
Had I enjoyed the day? Well on the one hand not only was I disappointed to lose, it was doubly disappointing to be seemingly so clearly second best for most of the afternoon. However, it was undeniably a great occasion to savour, and I was doubly delighted to experience it with my partner for her to taste what "big matches" are all about at famous old grounds.
Furthermore, with a ski-lesson for her to look forward to later at Milton Keynes at 8pm, and some general ski-slope time for me in anticipation of our first holiday together a few weeks hence, there was something else to look forward to very soon . . . . . and as I explained . . . . there's always next Saturday . . . .
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Birmingham City
Football Championship League
Saturday 1st November 2014, 12.45pm
Harry Smith (Birmingham City fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Molineux?
It was a local derby and it was Gary Rowett first game in charge of Blues. It was a game I couldn't miss and this was to be my first trip to Molineux. Also I've heard Molineux generates a great atmosphere, so this being a local derby I was expecting it to be in full voice and finally I wanted to tick Molineux off my list.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Asking family members and friends who have been to the Wolves beforehand, all said to catch the train, as Molineux is a ten minute walk away from Wolverhampton Railway Station. We did this and on exiting the station we, along with a number of other Blues fans were given a Police escort to the ground. Oddly you can only really see the ground when you turn down off the ring road and go down a hill by the university, I liked the look of it; four separate stands which looked very modern.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
As we had been escorted to the ground, there was no chance of going for a beer. But to be honest I couldn't recall seeing a friendly pub as we journeyed to the ground. The ones I did see looked firmly to be home supporters only. On the campus road by the ground there were plenty of burger vans, which were reasonably priced. On arriving at the ground itself we were met with even more Police, who had placed a cordon between the Blues and Wolves fans, with plenty of abuse going both ways.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Molineux?
We were sat in the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand. The concourse area is very long and a bit dark dingy, however the facilities were good and clean. As we sold out our 2,700 allocation the concourse was packed, but I managed to get a pie and a pint. Stewards were okay seating us. First impression were that it was a very good ground. The large Stand Cullis Stand to our right, looked very modern and dwarfs the rest of Molinuex. Me and my brother Dan were sat right next to the opposite end where most of the vociferous Wolves were. This led a constant string of abuse throughout the game, it was very hostile and intimidating. Still the view of the playing action was very good.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Although the game was goalless, then from a Blues point of view it was a very satisfying performance after coming off the back of a 8-0 thrashing in the previous game. Wolves were the more dominant for most of the game but we showed desire and passion which we hadn't saw in Blues for a long time. Atmosphere was great. A proper Derby atmosphere, although it felt it was going to boil over. At end of the game there was a stand off between the two sets of fans. Some things were thrown in our direction and also some of the home fans seated in the tier above were also shouting abuse.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
It wasn't much fun either on leaving the stadium as the Police had their work cut out to keep the fans apart. Still we managed to get back to the station okay and was relieved to finally get on the train home.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Molineux is a very nice ground and is in easy walking distance from the train station. There was a good atmosphere generated inside, but some of the actions of fans was unsavoury, but in hindsight it was a local derby after all. I don't think though that I will rushing back to Molineux any time soon.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leyton Orient
League One
Sunday, December 29th 2013, 3pm
Jack Rumbold (Leyton Orient fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
Mainly because this was billed as the top football league fixture of the weekend, with Wolves placed 3rd and finding ourselves sitting at the top of the league - a very strange feeling for an Orient fan! We always aim to go to new grounds and a rare opportunity to visit a ground the size of Molineux could not be missed.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
From London we took the direct train to Birmingham Snow Hill and subsequently a Metro tram to Wolverhampton which was a very unique experience and a nice addition to the journey. The ground itself was a short walk through the town centre from the tram station.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
On hearing advice about a lack of away friendly pubs near the ground we chose to have a few drinks in Birmingham before catching the tram. This proved to be the right choice as many pubs around the ground were indeed closed to away fans, however food was not an issue due to the many outlets around the stadium.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
The ground certainly looks impressive as you exit the subway as it is situated at the bottom of a hill. Once inside, I was surprised that the ground felt smaller than the impression given off by TV, nevertheless the new Stand Cullis stand looks impressive with two large tiers despite the fact it somewhat comically stops abruptly as it rounds the corner. We were housed in the entire lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand which gave a very low angled view of the pitch even at the back row.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game itself got off to the worst possible start from an Orient point of view, with Wolves going ahead with the first attack of the game inside sixty seconds. Admittedly we were very fortunate to then hang on until half time only 1-0 down and the trend continued into the second half with Wolves looking by far the better team and Jake Larkins in goal in only his second professional game making a number of smart saves. The game then turned with our first shot on target and arguably first meaningful attack on 70 minutes with Mathieu Baudry finishing an inch perfect cross to make it 1-1. Given the importance of the game its safe to say a goal has not quite been celebrated that madly for a long time. The match finished 1-1 with Orient by far the more satisfied with the result, given the injuries we incurred and the significant financial difference between the teams.
The atmosphere within the ground was excellent in the early stages, with a near 30,000 sell out for the first time in Wolves season. The atmosphere from ourselves was slightly broken up by the fact we were along the bottom on the side of the pitch but there was good banter between fans. It is also worth mentioning that I haven't heard a stadium as loud for a very long time.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting away from the ground was easy enough, although there were a very snark comments from home fans on the way back to the station and the presence of police was reassuring, however this may be down to frustration of the home fans from the actual game than something deeper. Despite this, many fans were happy to chat and this made for a relatively pleasant journey home.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Overall, it was a privilege to visit Molineux and its days such as this that rarely come around for lower league fans and one that was made significantly better by the battling second half performance and current league position - why the game was not broadcast on SKY was beyond most people at the game. I would highly recommend a trip to Molineux despite problems with local pubs, and would recommend taking the tram from Birmingham to change the day up.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v MK Dons
League One
Saturday, December 14th 2013, 3pm
Dan McCalla (MK Dons fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
To be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to the Dons’ first trip to Molineux as much as most other fans I know were. As someone who goes to every away game, I much prefer the trips when you can have a relaxed, fun day out and have a good-natured chat with the home fans in the pubs before and after. Everything I’d heard about trips to Wolves from various people in the run-up to the game suggested this wasn’t going to be the case, but I was more than happy to be proved wrong by the end of the day!
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The journey up was a simple 80-minute direct train from Milton Keynes Central, at the bargain price of £7 return (or £4.60 if, like me, you had a railcard). After our usual breakfast at Wetherspoons, a group of 12 of us grabbed the train at 11:15am and arrived in Wolverhampton around 12:40pm.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
We’d been advised by West Midlands Police the day before the game via Twitter that the Walkabout on Queen Street, a couple of hundred metres from the train station, was the only bar open to away fans. Although no-one in our group was wearing colours, we decided to play it safe and headed there after getting off the train. We reached the Walkabout to find bouncers on the door checking tickets to ensure they were for the away section, and once we’d entered the service was good and the drinks not too expensive. We stayed until around 2:15pm before the 10- to 12-minute walk to Molineux.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
Both outside and in, I was very impressed by Molineux. It has been extensively redeveloped over the years and has pulled off a trick that many other grounds haven’t; offering decent modern facilities while keeping traditional old-style character (and yes, I am aware of the irony of an MK Dons fan saying that!). The only slight criticism is that all four stands look quite different and imbalanced as the ground has been redeveloped in stages; although the new Stan Cullis Stand at one end is impressive to say the least, it really does dwarf the rest of the stadium.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
We entered Molineux at 2:30pm to find ourselves on a reasonably spacious concourse (we’d been given part of the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand despite only taking around 750 fans) to watch the final stages of Manchester City ripping the entrails out of Arsenal. I enjoyed another drink there, although the prices of £3.50 for a can of Banks’s Bitter or £4 for a bottle of Carling were extortionate. After finishing my bitter, I made my way up the stairs to join the other fans already making some noise in the stand.
The stewards tried to enforce allocated seating on everyone, but this quickly unravelled before kick-off. Considering we’re hardly the most disruptive set of fans around, the stewarding was quite heavy in the early stages in terms of trying to get around 200 Dons fans to sit down when around 4,000 Wolves fans were able to stand without challenge in the end to our left. A couple of families behind me were unable to see, but I managed to arrange for everyone around me to move back a row so that the family could take the seats in front of us and watch the game seated. After that, and a friendly chat with one of the chief stewards, we were left alone to stand for the rest of the game.
Given that we’d lost seven away games in a row, expectations of Dons success at Molineux were low. But after weathering an early storm, we gradually took control of the game, with Stephen Gleeson and Darren Potter dominating midfield. After half an hour, a superbly timed pass from Samir Carruthers put Patrick Bamford through on goal, and the Chelsea loanee slotted in for his 14th goal of the season. Delirium from the Dons fans, and frustrated silence from the fans in gold.
We expected a Wolves backlash in the second half, especially with the struggling Leigh Griffiths being taken off at half-time, but our control continued. It only took five minutes after half-time for us to double our lead, with a peach of a 25-yard strike from Ben Reeves that Wolves ‘keeper Carl Ikeme had no chance of keeping out. 2-0 up away at Wolves and the ‘Jingle Bells’ songs soon got going! Wolves correctly had a goal disallowed for offside with around 20 minutes to go, at which point significant numbers of home fans were already heading for the exits. I don’t want to criticise the Wolves fans, as they’ve suffered a tough couple of years with successive relegations, but it really was surprising to see how empty Molineux was by the end of the game.
My nerves were jangling towards the end, seeing as we'd suffered heartbreak away from home so many times before, but the final whistle went and the Dons party really could begin. Our players seemed to be celebrating just as hard as we were, and after a bad run of form during which he’d come under a lot of pressure, you could tell that manager Karl Robinson was particularly proud of the win.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
We left the ground happy, but decided against any songs outside as we felt there was no need to antagonise any Wolves fans unnecessarily. I stopped to buy a badge for £3 as a memento of the day (I recommend the van at the bottom of the steps as he sells some match-specific badges with both teams’ badges on – ideal to remember a win!). We then walked along the Ring Road and back to the train station with enough time to buy a couple of cans out of the Sainsbury’s nearby. We all piled onto the train at 5:45 and were back in MK for 7pm after a happy, song-filled ride home.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
We don’t win away very often, so it was very much a day to savour – for me, it was not far off that incredible day last season when we put four past QPR at Loftus Road in the FA Cup. We had no problems with the Wolves fans at all, although it’s impossible for me to say if this would have been different if we’d been wearing colours. But Molineux was a good, impressive stadium to visit and I’ll certainly look forward to my next visit to Wolverhampton much more than I did this one.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Swindon Town
League One
Saturday, September 14th 2013, 3pm
Ronan Howard (Swindon Town fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
I had never been to Molineux before and it definitely looks one of the better grounds in the league.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Went by train, direct journey and walkable from the train station, perfect.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
Spent a couple of hours in the Walkabout pub – as others have noted this is literally the only pub available to away fans pre-match. Can’t say that there was a particularly friendly or unfriendly atmosphere around the town but I get the impression if we were a visiting West Midlands club this situation could have been a lot different.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
Very impressive, but also very confusing in terms of trying to find the entrance – we were sat in the lower tier of the Steve Bull stand to which entrance seemed to be accessed on two sides. Stewards very helpful though so not too much of a delay getting in. However I have never seen so many police at a ground outside of a derby setting – spoke to a couple of officers beforehand expressing my surprise, to be told that “I think we’re more worried about them than you.” There had apparently been crowd trouble recently and with a derby against Walsall the following week, the police were on their toes. Not intimidating as such but set a tone.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Absolutely staggered we didn’t get anything from the game – Wolves managed to get themselves in front through an absolute fluke of a cross, followed by some poor defending which allowed Kevin Doyle to head home just before half time.
What followed in the second half was some great Swindon play and dominance on occasion which paid dividends on the 82nd minute to give us some hope when Dany N’Guessan pulled one back. However it was short lived, as Wolves sealed it at the death, only for an even later consolation with a stunning strike from Ryan Mason for Swindon fully 30 yards out leaving the travelling faithful scratching our heads as to how we hadn’t at least got a point.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Pubs seemed to be friendly enough to visiting fans after the game and had time for a couple before getting a train back with no problems
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Great stadium, fantastic atmosphere from the home fans, very good game of football – gutted we got nothing from the game, and would’ve been a better day out in some ways if the centre of Wolverhampton didn’t seem to go on lockdown when a match is on. Would definitely return however.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Walsall
Johnstone's Paint Trophy 1st Round
Tuesday, September 3rd 2013, 7.45pm
Karl Robinson (Walsall fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
The most local derby that Walsall will get now is the now league one rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers. However as it's my first away day with Walsall it's also interesting to visit another stadium albeit a local one.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I caught the local metro from Wednesbury to Wolverhampton and then had a short walk to the ground through Wolverhampton City Centre.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
Stopped off at McDonalds pre match however bumped into a fellow Walsall fan and we had a drink in the Goose (which was a home fans only pub) and then headed to Walkabout which was designated for the away fans to drink in.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
I've got to admit while the ground itself is pretty decent looking both in size and just looking at how the stands are, the only thing that annoyed me was the fact that the stands were so away from the pitch.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The match got off to a poor start for Walsall with Wolves taking the lead through Liam McAlinden and looking a strong force down the left wing, however going into the half time Walsall looked a bit of a better side. Having head to the toilets during this time the one thing that made me laugh was the entrance and exit much similar to that of Wembley stadium (even though with Wembley there are no doors so no one pays attention to theirs).
Going into the second half Walsall were quick off the mark and took the match to Wolves through an Ashley Hemmings goal which was a wonderful goal from the ex-Wolves player, however after four or five corners somehow the referee decided to award a penalty to Wolves which even confused the home fans in the Stan Cullis Stand but they were happy to see Sako put the ball in the back of the net. Walsall then fought back to 2-2 through a Troy Hewitt goal after Matt Doherty had slipped up a header. The match then went to penalties which Wolves won 4-2.
Overall it was a good showing of will and determination by Walsall to level the score twice and for the second year on the bounce Walsall have lost out in the JPT on penalties. Both sets of fans were very vocal, especially the Saddlers who had a funny moment that when the Wolves stated they hated the baggies, the Saddlers responded with their in the prem and they don't care.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
There were police in presence after the game, directing the Walsall fans the way they wanted them to go however somehow both sets of fans met slightly at a junction which was silly by the fact that it seemed something was likely to happen. I continued straight on past this and got to the metro fine which was full of true fans of both Wolves and Walsall.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
As it was my first away day I couldn't have picked a better game to go to than a local derby and hopefully this will see me head to a few more away days with the Saddlers in the future.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Barnsley
Championship League
Tuesday August 21st 2012, 7.45pm
Scott Leonard (Barnsley fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
As it was my 17th birthday the day before and we like to go to an away match. In addition we had played very well against Middlesbrough 3 days before so this should be a good game against one of the promotion favourites. Also the stand we were sat in was the new Stan Cullis stand which would be great to see a brand new stand.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
As we do with the away games my dad drove to the game. For the first two thirds of the journey there was little traffic until the M6 which meant an half hour delay but we had set off In plenty of time anyway so no real issues. We used a sat nav so we didn’t have a problem in finding the ground. After looking for some parking we found parking being offered at a private car park about 10 minutes away from the away end for £5 although there was a very steep ramp down to it and it wasn’t lit at the end of the game.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
Having already eaten at a McDonalds on our travels we had no need to go for food so we went straight to the ground but we did pass quite a few burger vans on the way to the away end. We walked around the ground in colours and had no problems with any Wolves fans.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
The turnstiles only opened 45 minutes before the start of the game but the initial thoughts on the stand was that it looked very new and modern. If you have to sit right in the end few rows then your view may be blocked by the roof from one of the other stands and as some Barnsley fans were singing ’24 quid and I can’t see’ as the upper tier is quite high up. There was also plenty of leg room which was a rarity for me being 6 foot. The other 3 stands looked OK.
View from the new away section:
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game started off badly for Barnsley with Stephen Ward scoring after only 6 minutes after a mistake from the Barnsley goalkeeper. We stayed in the game until the 60th minute when Ebanks-Blake scored a goal which appeared to be well offside. David Edwards then scored 10 minutes later which finished the game at 3-0 although we did get a goal back through Tomasz Cywka but it was far too late. The atmosphere was similar to most grounds with the away fans making most of the noise and the home fans largely quiet. Hardly noticed the stewards and police although some Barnsley fans began singing ‘There’s only one sexy copper’! My Dad had a pie which was expensive at £3 but he said it was nice. My brother also had a portion of chips for £2.50 which were very expensive for how few there were. The toilets were OK and modern.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
We walked back to the car and managed to be out of the main traffic within 20 minutes and we were back home in Barnsley by 11:50pm.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
The day out was great apart from the result. The new stand had very modern facilities and I would highly recommend a visit to Molineux.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers
Premier League
Saturday March 10th 2012, 3pm
Tom Croft (Blackburn Rovers fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
Well as our season wasn't going too well, we were slightly apprehensive about visiting Wolves. Despite this their form was poor at the time and having just sacked manager Mick McCarthy, we felt this was a game that we should get three points from. Also Rovers had put on free travel so tickets sold out in a snap, so a great atmosphere was definite.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We took advantage of the free travel so the journey was fairly simple although we were stopped about 10 minutes away from the ground and given a rather large police escort which may have been due to the fact we had roughly 15 coaches. We parked in a car park about 5 minutes away from the ground and followed the crowd to the ground.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
We decided against going to the pub beforehand as we were told it was a rather long walk and there was no guarantee that children were admitted (we had a number of minors with us). We just got a programme and went straight into the ground where we had a beer. Home fans seemed okay although it did "kick off" at the end of the match with what seemed to be a small number of fans from both sides trying to reach each other.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
At first seeing the ground it didn't look overly impressive although when we were in the stand it did look pretty decent. The home end (opposite to where we were) only had the lower tier at the time as the upper was being built but I'd imagine that once that stand was complete it would be a very impressive stadium. One odd thing was that whereas most stands are straight the stand to our right kind of curved round the pitch being that those sat in the middle were further away from the pitch from those at the ends of the stand.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game got off to a slow start with both sides creating a few half chances but with Rovers getting slightly more of the play until close to half time Junior Hoilett rocketed in a half volley from a part clearance to make it 1-0 to us going into half time. The second half was a different story though. It seemed as though the goal had given us a lot of confidence and we came out and really put Wolves to the test and managed to break them down for a second time with a 20 yard shot from Hoilett making it 2-0 to us. After this it never seemed like Wolves would get back into it even though they did create the odd opportunity they couldn't score and the game finished 2-0 to Rovers.
The atmosphere was outstanding from the Rovers fans for the full 90minutes. It was obvious that the free travel had encouraged all fans to get behind the lads. There wasn't a great atmosphere from the Wolves fans apart from a section of them close to the away fans who did continue to try to get things going. Stewards were friendly enough. Had a bottle of Kingstone Press Cider (£3.20) and a Steak and Ale pie (£3) before the game and must say the pie was probably the best I have ever had at a football ground so well done to Wolves there! The concourse was large and toilets clean enough.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
As we took a lot of coaches getting away did take a while but once we got about 20 minutes away from the ground we were well on our way home.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Overall this was one of my best away days of the season. Great weather, great result, decent food/drink, a nice stadium and awesome atmosphere.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea
Premier League
Monday January 2nd 2012, 3pm
Harry Williamson (Chelsea fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground?
This would be my first away game north of the London area. With Wolverhampton being easy to get to by train and reasonably priced match tickets it was an easy choice to make to go to this one. I had heard that the Wolves fans could be shall we say 'not very welcoming' but I did not encounter any problems on my visit.
With Chelsea losing 1-3 at home to Aston Villa just 48 hours earlier, I was not ruling out a repeat of last year's scoreline when Wolves beat us 1-0 at Molineux.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
It was a simple trip up from London Euston to Wolverhampton followed by a little walk along a ring road to the ground. From the train station you can make out the new large cantilever stand which is currently under construction as part of a large scale redevelopment of Molineux. As you walk along the ring road the ground becomes easily visible.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
I decided to go straight to the ground with only 30 minutes to spare before kick off. I had no interaction with the home fans although they seemed nice enough. There is an ASDA store located behind the new stand.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
The first thing you notice is the new single large stand, as it is taller than all of the others. This is currently under construction with only the bottom of the two tiers open but it looks like it will be very smart once completed. The away fans were located in the Steve Bull stand and were given the whole of the lower tier. Upon entering the ground, I noticed that the concourse is quite dark and dingy and unusually it seems to have a bit of a slope to it. The toilet and refreshment areas are adequate though.
Inside the seating area there is ample leg room although the stand curves away from the pitch slightly, meaning that some seats seem to have been crammed in slightly. I was in row M which was the back row because the last 2 were netted off. At first I was slightly concerned that there were Wolves fans directly above us but there were no problems and both sets of fans engaged in some friendly banter. Behind the seats in the lower tier are some rather small looking executive boxes. All of the stands are fairly similar in design (apart from the new one of course) so Molineux has quite a smart look to it although it will look even better once it has been redeveloped.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The first half was scrappy with several bookings in a spicy affair which helped to create a terrific atmosphere. Lampard was lucky not to see red for a late tackle early on and both sides had good chances in the first half. In the second half Chelsea upped their game and were rewarded when Ramires turned and fired into the top corner. However, Wolves came back and Stephen Ward scored from close range to equalise for the home side after Jose Bosingwa's defensive frailties were highlighted once again. Within 7 minutes though, Chelsea regained the lead. Frank Lampard tucked home Ashley Cole's cross from 6 yards on 88 minutes. Chelsea held on and Wolves were unfortunate not to snatch a point when Petr Cech pulled off a super save in the second minute of added time.
The stewards were very relaxed and friendly. The only action they had to take was to kindly ask a middle aged man to stop standing on a seat which was fair enough.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
It was straight out the ground upon the final whistle with a brisk walk back to the train station and onto the train back to Euston in no time.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Very enjoyable day out and good value for money. I had no problems with the home supporters despite hearing bad things. A great away day and a great football match. I will certainly be returning next year if possible.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea
Premier League
Monday January 2nd 2012, 3pm
Alan McKeown (Chelsea fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
I have been to Molineux on a few occasions before. Being a Chelsea fan originally from London and now living in the Midlands it's nice to go to a local ground instead of travelling to London for a change.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Although I have previously visited Molineux, I had always travelled by train. So this was to be my first time driving to the ground, but this was straightforward as it was clearly signposted as you came off the M6. There was a car park bang opposite the away end of the ground and it cost £3 which was very reasonable.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
I never got to do much before the game because we got there about 10 minutes before kick off due to the traffic coming into Wolverhampton City centre which I did not account for, word of advice if driving, you need to leave an hour earlier to avoid getting stuck in matchday traffic.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
Molineux is a nice ground, clean and tidy. As an added bonus it's got an Asda right opposite the ground, to if you fancy something reasonably priced to eat, you may want to get something there before the game, rather than pay the inflated prices inside the stadium.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc? -
The first half of the game was a scrappy affair, both teams got stuck in and at some points it threatened to boil over. Lampard should have been given a straight red for a tackle on Adam Hammill but was only given a yellow, Chelsea took the lead deservedly on the hour mark, a neat finish from Ramires, Chelsea missed a host of chances after the goal, Wolves had very little chances in the game but equalised with 5 minutes to go, courtesy of the Chelsea defence going to sleep yet again in the last 10 minutes and allowing Steven Fletcher to cross for Stephen Ward to score. Just when it looked like it was going to end in a draw, Chelsea broke down the left in the 89th Minute. Torres released Ashley Cole down the left, Cole floated in a peach of a ball into the six yard box, who was there Frank Lampard to slide the ball home. 2-1 to Chelsea! Overall I think Chelsea deserved the points.
It was a good atmosphere, loads of banter between both sets of fans, stewards were fine, Chelsea fans were well behaved which helps, food is very expensive inside the ground, toilets were fine and fairly clean.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting away from the ground was a nightmare, got out of the car park no problem, but was stuck in traffic coming out of Wolverhampton city centre for 40 minutes, which I guess if your driving you cannot avoid getting held up in the matchday traffic leaving after the game.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
My overall thoughts of the day, I really enjoyed it, fairly good atmosphere, obviously the ground and the facilities helped the day as well, we got our tickets for £40 which is what they charged Chelsea last season, which is pretty much a standard price for this level of fotball now in the Premiership!
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Fulham
Premier League
Fulham, Premier League
Sunday August 21st 2011, 2pm
John Smith (Fulham fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
I was looking forward to this game as it was our first away game of the season and there’s generally a few Fulham fans that go to this fixture resulting in a good atmosphere. Also, it’s only a two hour journey as oppose to the marathon up to Newcastle/Sunderland.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?:
We got the train from London Euston to Wolverhampton and went into the city centre, following the swarms of gold shirts!
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
We went to a KFC outlet before entering the ground which was situated in the city centre (a 5 minute walk from Molineux), there didn’t seem to be many away pubs around as all the pubs were decorated in Wolves flags. We had no real interaction with the locals.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
The stadium looks nice and the gold paintwork makes it stand out from a distance. The away section is half of a standard single tier stand in the Jack Harris Stand. The home end (Stan Cullis) is being renovated so wasn’t open at the time.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..:
The game itself was poor from a Fulham point of view, from start to finish we were totally outplayed (2-0 to Wolves), if we took our chances it may have been different but with out Zamora we don’t have a clinical finisher. The home fans created a good atmosphere but the Fulham boys weren’t quite on that level, the stewards were good.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting away was fine, took about 3 minutes.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Good day out regardless of the scoreline, nice stadium, good fans (apart from 2 nutters that got themselves kicked out) and a relatively nice city!
Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Bromwich Albion
Premier League
Sunday May 8th 2011, 12noon
Kurt Jacob (West Bromwich Albion fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
A local derby where we could effectively relegate our local rivals! Unfortunately it did not materialise.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We travelled by coach but due to our status of local rivals, we were greeted to four-letter chants, two fingered salutes and a young man mooning at us! We arrived about 45 minutes before kick off at a coach park about 5-10 minute walk from the ground and due to the hostility WBA receive, we received a police escort into the stadium. There were taunts by both sets of fans to each other over the police divide. We sat in the Steve Bull Lower (formally the John Ireland stand) which runs down the touchline however I am informed for clubs with a lower following they are situated in part of the Jack Harris (South Bank) stand behind the goal to our left.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
All bars in the city centre and surrounding area were closed due to the intensity of the match.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
Once inside the ground, the concourse is like an old subway and is very dark and dingy. Due to the nature of the match no alcohol was on sale. We then took our seat in the JL8 section, about level with the edge of the penalty area at the South Bank end. I was concerned to learn that Wolves fans were situated directly above us in the Steve Bull Upper as I felt that things may be thrown at us from that area.
The stadium itself is quite unique with it’s extremely bright orange look. Both stands behind the goals are large single tier stands and the two other stands are curved two-tier stands allowing for a very good view of the pitch even though you are quite far back from the pitch. In the far-left corner there was a temporary stand. The opposite two-tier stand houses the players tunnel and benches.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..
For two bottles of Coca-Cola, two hotdogs and a packet of crisps it cost approximately £11. The banter in the stadium was mainly good fun however there were one or two idiots on both sides of the divide behaving inappropriately.
Before kick off there was a rendition of ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ in which the home fans sing ‘Hi Ho Wolverhampton’. The away fans sang their version which unfortunately can not be repeated for this review!
The first half was a disaster from our point of view, conceding two sloppy goals from corners scored by Steven Fletcher and Adlene Guediora. It was a must win game for Wolves to help them avoid Premier League relegation however we were already safe after Roy Hodgson had masterminded a fantastic end of season run.
At half time there was some entertainment with fans shooting at the goal and more friendly banter between the fans.
Within three minutes of the restart it was more disaster for the Baggies after a defensive error by Abdoulaye Meite let Steven Fletcher in to score a third. As the Wolves fans above us cheered, one threw the contents of a drinks bottle over us which prompted no reaction by the club stewards, even though earlier in the game a West Brom fan was warned for sticking fingers up to opposition fans. Minutes later, Albion won a penalty which Peter Odemwingie converted. Jerome Thomas hit the crossbar and another couple of chances went begging as Wolves deservedly won 3-1.
Another major gripe was that Wolves fans had, like the reverse fixture, smuggled a flare into the stadium. It took stewards five minutes to get the situation under control, once again prompting my accusation of the club not taking the crowd trouble situation seriously. Thankfully it was not thrown.
On a lighter note, there was some taunting and great banter by the majority of the the genuine supporters of both clubs with some Wolves fans doing the ‘Poznan’ which was painful as a Baggie to watch.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
When leaving the stadium, the police had an extremely successful and effective set up directing visiting supporters up a road away from home supporters and the stadium and that must be commended. Some fans did confront each other and a couple of arrests were made. All genuine away fans were given plenty of protection and time by the police to clear the area.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Poor game from our point of view and an extremely disappointing result. The club need to look at its stewarding and the position of away fans. I am not pinning all of the blame on Wolves as there was some poor behaviour by our fans but the poor organisation and reaction of the stewards just adds fuel to the fire. I am not condoning the behaviour of some supporters of either side but putting away supporters underneath home fans in a two-tier stand in a derby voted the most fierce in Britain, above the Old Firm, is just idiotic.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackpool
Premier League
Saturday, February 26th 2011, 3pm
Dean Williamson (Blackpool fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
This was my first visit to Molineux and after hearing some great reviews of the ground and atmosphere I was expecting this to be a special day out.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We took the train from Manchester with a friend, were both Blackpool exiles, and as I'd travelled this route but never alighted in Wolverhampton I half knew what to expect. The ground itself is a 5 minute walk from the train station and is heavily sign posted making it easy to find.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
We went in the nearest pub to the ground 'The Great Western' which is generally for home fans but if you get in there early enough, like we did, the landlord will welcome you with open arms. There was no trouble before the game but this was, in retrospect, an ominous sign as events took a nasty tone during and after the game.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
As you walk along the dual carriageway to the stadium there is a lot of burger vans and not much sign of stadia anywhere until you reach the University where the ground appears suddenly and looks like your looking into a valley. It is an impressive stadium with four separate stands all brightly adorned with Wolves' colours. All held up by large steel structures that give the stadium character unlike a lot of Premier League grounds. The stadium itself is really easy to access with minimal queues but there is a stop and search policy rigidly enforced by the security staff. The away end of the ground, in the Steve Bull stand, is evenly spaced and your view of the pitch is excellent wherever your sat. The only restrictions are made by the stewards who form a line between the home and away supporters. There are two large screens on either side of the ground but both these were switched off during my visit.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..
This was probably the worst performance from Blackpool this season with very little to cheer about from the away fans after going one nil down within the first few minutes. The rest of the game panned out completely in favour of Wolves who had a chance to open the flood gates and improve their goal difference considerably. How we lasted until half time only goal down is beyond me. This wasn't helped by our start striker DJ Campbell who exemplified the frustration of the Blackpool fans by pushing Wolves centre half Richard Stearman in the face and being shown the red card. The second half was all Wolves and they ran out 4-0 winners. There was some very sad news during the game as Dr Peter Lake, a Blackpool supporter, went into cardiac arrest and unfortunately passed our away after the match. Our thoughts are with him and his family.
The atmosphere was buoyed by Wolves biggest home crowd of the season (29,000) however the homes fans nearest to the away end vented a lot of abuse towards the Blackpool fans and threw coins and other objects towards us after the second goal went in. On complaint of this towards the stewards no motion was made to eject any of the Wolves fans. During half time I was very impressed with the speed of service from the refreshments kiosks. However this may have been down to the expensive cost and lack of food on offer. I paid £6.80 for a pie and a pint but you could have paid £7.00 for a hot dog and pint. Generally though this is quite standard at most Premier League grounds. The toilets were also very clean.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
We had an easy journey away from the ground and even stopped in a city centre pub for a quick pint before the train. A few stories did materialise after the game that some Blackpool fans were set upon by Wolves fans.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A terrible day out given the scoreline but a must for anyone trying to 'do the 92'. I would strongly advise keeping colours hidden when visiting Molineux.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool
Premier League
Saturday, January 22nd 2011, 12.45pm
Carl Seward (Liverpool fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
Its another away ground ticked off the list! Not too far away from Liverpool but far enough to be a bit different.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Very easy, straight down the M6, off the motorway then onto a nice free park and ride, located about 1 mile north of the city centre on the A449. Nice easy walk to the ground with the Wolves fans.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
I was flying solo that day so got a maccy`s on the way down and went straight into the ground. Pubs around the ground look pretty nice but didn't fancy chancing it and having to put on a Black Country accent!
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
Looks a nice ground from the outside, very colourful and fits in well with the surrounding area. The only criticism I would have of the away end is that the fans are spread out along the length of the pitch which makes it very difficult to get any atmosphere going (possibly a clever ploy by Wolves). Inside the ground looks good, very traditional but with enough modern facilities and plenty of leg room. They could do with removing the giant TV screens in the corners as they look like lookout posts from the 'Bridge on the River Kwai!'
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..
Well we won 3 - nil so the game itself was great, much better than Liverpool have played for a long time, although Wolves are a dangerous team and the result could have been different if they had been able to take their chances. The stewards were very friendly and despite the note that I received with my ticket stating `no standing is allowed at Molineux` we stood all through the game and not a thing was said. The home fans make plenty of noise, much more than I have noticed at other grounds, although most of it was to give stick to our keeper whenever he got near the ball.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Again, very easy. Fifteen minute stroll back up the main road and back into the car and home, very little traffic. I would recommend all drivers use the free park and ride at the Science Park on the A449, especially if they are coming from the North as it makes getting away after the game so much easier than having to go through the city centre.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Very enjoyable. I had read that Wolves fans could be easily narked but the ones I was walking along with were very friendly and knowledgable. If the away end could be more bunched up rather than in a thin strip then this would be a perfect away trip.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea
Premier League
Wednesday, January 5th 2011, 7.45pm
Luke Burton (Chelsea fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
I was looking forward to the fixture. But as for the ground I was not too excited about visited Molineux, but expected a big performance from Chelsea. Despite our form having been awful over the past 2 months, we were playing the team at the bottom of the league, so I was expecting a good result.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Went by train. Nice and easy from the train station which is located just down the road from the ground, a short walk around 5 minutes away, so this was no trouble at all.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
We went straight into the ground as we didn't have much time left til kick off when we arrived. I have heard things about Wolves fans in the past and they are supposed to be an unpredictable lot, but everything was fine and we walked into the ground without any bother.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
My first thoughts of the ground was the shape of it is unusual. The away stand curves to a degree where if you are sitting on the half way line you are furthest away from the pitch. The ground itself seemed quite basic , single tiered stands North and South, two tiered stands on both sides. The away fans were seated in the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand, which offered a good view.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..
The game was awful, a Chelsea own goal within five minutes of the kick off and Wolves find themselves one up, who other than Steven Hunt claiming it (Mr Popular with us Chelsea fans!). As the game went on in the first half we showed nothing at all to Wolves, who from the start came out to give it a good go. Half time arrived and I purchased a bottle of Carling for £3.60 and a burger for £4.00, so quite pricey for what it was. Nevertheless the burger hit the spot and the Carling washed it down nicely, back to the game and I was hoping for a BIG change, the only thing I can criticize about the atmosphere at Molineux was only one stand was making a real noise throughout the game , while the Chelsea boys gave it as good as we could, there was a real anxiety amongst fearing another dismal performance. Final whistle, one nil to Wolves and lets just say most of the Chelsea boys didn't hang around to clap the lads, we went straight out the ground with our depressed faces wondering how long this bad run would continue.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Just as getting to the ground, getting out was the same , a nice little 5 minute walk back to the train station with no bother.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Glad I went because no matter what the score I'll always follow Chelsea, score wise not a good night though. Credit where credits due though, Wolves gave us a tough game but we are not 100% and things must change.
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Updated 5th November 2019
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