Peter Knowles: Golden boy goalscoring hero for Wolves

by Roy Jackson
(County Louth, Ireland)

I used to love getting the train down from Manchester to arrive for an evening game, all excited going into the old South Bank behind the even then closed down Molineux Hotel, to see the shining emerald pitch under floodlights.

To watch him drifting past defenders, perfect balance, swaying one way and stroking the ball another, often for Dougan to run on and score or at least go close.

We could see what he was going to do, it seemed so direct, so obvious, everyone was roaring, then if it came off, it was fantastic! so exciting! What was brilliant was the excitement on the pitch matched the excitement I felt before it happened.

Memorable times, but it was really perplexing to read he wanted to give it up, but fair play to him to be able to see beyond the immediacy of the 'golden moment' to see a world outside of it.

A true bit of personal conviction, but to us on the outside of that, it just seemed a bit of a waste. It was very sad. I felt it left a bit of a vacuum, and I think Dougan felt it too.