Bruce Grobbelaar surprises his old Wolves pal Phil Parkes

The former Wolves keeper, who holds the club record of 127 consecutive appearances out of his overall total of 382, was the main attraction and focus of the latest in the series of They Wore The Shirt fundraising dinners organised by lifelong fan and memorabilia expert Steve Plant.

Parkes followed Derek Parkin, Kenny Hibbitt and Steve Bull in being honoured by They Wore The Shirt, with Grobbelaar, his understudy during a spell at Vancouver Whitecaps, joining former Molineux maestros in taking host Steve Saul through some fantastic and humorous memories of their history with Parkes.

“I wouldn’t have missed this night for anything,” said Grobbelaar, back at Molineux where he made the first appearance of his illustrious Liverpool career 40 years ago in August.

“We lived in the same apartment block in Vancouver and I used to babysit Phil’s lads Greg and Dean.

“For me Lofty is an icon – I will always remember his discipline on the training field, his discipline on a matchday, and then after that when the discipline went a little bit wayward!

“I was fortunate to go on and win many things in my career but at the start it was Phil that inspired me.”

Plant has already raised £130,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Cure Leukaemia charities with the fundraising nights and two books, and looks set to add another £6,000 to that total after this latest event.

“It was another great night and such a fitting tribute to Lofty with Bruce and so many of his former team-mates only too happy to come along and show their support,” said Plant.

“I think nights like this offer a reminder of the history of the club and how much it means to so many people, and it was a fantastic trip down memory lane with so many anecdotes and brilliant stories.”

Former Wolves players in attendance included John Richards, Kenny Hibbitt, Terry Wharton, Steve Daley, Jim McCalliog, Mel Eves, Gary Pierce, Colin Brazier, Jon Purdie, Dale Rudge, Gerry O’Hara, Phil Nicholls and Carl Ikeme.

The conclusion of the night saw Richards present Parkes with a special portrait from his playing days painted by former Wolves defender Jody Craddock.

“It was a brilliant night and I was blown away by it all to be honest,” said Parkes.

“Planty and Sauly did such a great job organising it and to see so many fans and former team-mates there, and then Bruce who I haven’t seen for a few years, was amazing.

“They all take the mickey out of me but I’m used to that – as players and fans we had some great times together and it was great to relive them all on a special night.”