Wolves 0 Villa 3 - There was a moment, after just three minutes, when all must have seemed right in the world to the Molineux faithful.
It was at that point young Wolves winger Lewis Gobern tore past Aaron Hughes and delivered a perfectly weighted ball towards Steve Bull MBE.
His shoulders dropped and the eyes narrowed in predatory anticipation - but the body couldn't respond and the ball agonisingly drifted wide.
In that second the moment was gone. Two minutes later he was off, hobbling down the tunnel for the last time in a pair of football boots.
Bully said, "I hadn't told anybody that I was going to play for 30 to 45 minutes and I felt good."
"I had a word with Mick before the game and he was relaxed about me being as involved as much as I wanted to be."
"As I was warming up in the gym by the home dressing room stretching and getting the muscles warmed up my knee just went and locked up, I couldn't believe it."
"Fans probably saw me running awkwardly during the pitch warm up and I was gutted, I couldn't straighten my leg."
"Just before kick off I sat in the dressing room while the gaffer gave his pre-match team talk and I said I would only last 5 minutes because of my knee."
"All that said and done I had a great 7 minutes for the last time on the Molineux pitch and even had a chance at the far post."
"I remember Lewis going down the right and putting in a fantastic cross to the far post. I watched it all the way and got the flight of the ball, my instincts told me to pull off the defender to make a few yards then to chest it and volley into the back of the net but at the last split second I lost the flight of the ball and the last chance had gone - maybe a few years ago I would have been celebrating a goal but it wasn't meant to be."
"I had a fantastic day and all of the fans were superb to me. It was also very special for me to say a few words at half time with Sir Jack and to receive the match ball as a momento from the club."
"I would like to wish Mick and all of the lads the best of luck for the season and to thank all of the fans for turning up on the day."
Wolves: Oakes, Edwards (Little 57), Naylor (Clyde 57), O'Connor (Gleeson 83), Craddock (c), Breen, Gobern (Bothroyd 45), Davies (Henry 8), Bull (Cort 7) (Finkler 74), Rosa, Ricketts.
Villa: Taylor, Hughes, Bouma, McCann (Green 83), Cahill, Ridgewell, Davis (Gardner 43), Phillips (Agbonhalor 62), Moore, Barry (c) (Samuel 67), Whittingham.
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