The Story of the Wolves – Part 28
AS indicated in parts 26 and 27, Wolves secured an immediate return to Division 2 at the end of the 1923-24 season.
Relegation in 1923 gave new manager George Jobey the opportunity to start afresh with new players including Tommy Bowen, Ben Timmins, Jack Harrington, Harold Shaw, Ted Watson, Evan Edwards and Tom Phillipson all arriving.
In the long term Phillipson, signed from Swindon Town, was the most significant addition, scoring 111 goals in just 159 starts (then a club record) before leaving for Sheffield United for £2,600 in 1928.
Hat-tricks
Tom’s tally included seven hat-tricks, the first coming in a 7-1 win at Ashington in January of the promotion season. He scored four against Barnsley (in another 7-1 victory) in April 1926 and five in a 9-2 triumph over Bradford City in December of the same year.
He was top scorer in three successive campaigns between 1925 and 1927, and became the first Wolves players to score 30 goals in a season in 192526 (36 in the league and 37 in total).
Record
He scored in 13 consecutive league games that term, a record, and repeated the feat the next year netting 33 times (31 in the league).
He returned to live in Wolverhampton after retirement and served as the town’s mayor in 194445. Cartoon 56 will include a mention achievements.
But in the 1923-24 promotion Phillipson came in third in the league scoring stakes with 12, Harry Lees and Stan Fazackerley scoring 21 and 14 respectively. of
Tom’s
The extent of Jobey’s transformation of the playing squad is shown by the fact that goalkeeper Noel George was the sole survivor of the 1921 FA Cup final team.
The Third Division
North title was won as Wolves pipped Rochdale to the top spot by a point. Secured with a goalless draw at Tranmere Rovers on the last day of the season (3rd May), the cartoon shows the mayor,
Councillor J Clark, receiving the players at a celebration dinner at the town hall.
It is doubtful that the players wore their ‘V’ for victory shirts at the event. That month George Jobey quit as manager and eventually led Derby County until 1940. Secretary Albert Hoskins took over and remained in charge for almost two seasons, in which Wolves finished sixth and then fourth.