Wolves’ exclusive 300 Club
CLIVE CORBETT brings us Part 25 of his tribute to the small group of players who gave the best years of their careers to Wolverhampton Wanderers
Born: Edlington, Doncaster, 28 July 1934 Wolves 1950-1967 Club Honours: Division 1 champions (1953-54, 1957-1958, 1958-59) FA Cup (1960) FA Charity Shield (shared with West Bromwich Albion 1954, winners 1959) Division 2 runners-up (196667) Hall of Fame (2009) Appearances (Goals) League 467 (33), FA Cup 31 (4), Other 14. Total 512 (37)
RON Flowers started his footballing career in the academy of Doncaster Rovers, a team that his uncle George and younger brother John both played for.
Ron’s father insisted that he also train as an apprentice at the Doncaster railway sheds. Released by the Dons he joined
a nursery side for Wolves. Within a year he had moved to Molineux and his first game as a Wolves player was in a Worcestershire Combination match on August 18th 1951, scoring one of the goals in a 4-1 win.
Mark Crook’s Wath Wanderers, Debut
The following Saturday he was promoted to the Birmingham League side, scoring again, and less than two months later Ron made his Central League debut in a 2-0 defeat at Bramall Lane, Sheffield. By the end of the season he had played in 22 reserve team games.
Flowers was rewarded with a first-team debut at home to Blackpool on 20th September 1952. He started the match at centre-half but switched to lefthalf with Billy Wright soon after the kick-off. Although he headed home a Johnny Hancocks corner in the 42nd minute for his first senior goal, Wolves suffered a 5-2 Molineux drubbing at the hands of the Seasiders.
Sparkling
But that was one of the few low points in a sparkling career. Ron played 15 times in the 1953-54 Division 1 title winning season, all but one coming in the final run-in from January. Ron played in many of the famous floodlit friendly matches, including Spartak, Honved and Real Madrid, and was a member of the team that won back-to-back top flight titles in 1957-58 and 1958-59.
He played in every game in the successful FA Cup run in 1960, scoring twice in the third round games against Newcastle United. Many argue that the best of his 37 Wolves goals came in the first of those games and then in a 9-0 win over Fulham on 16th September 1959. He also started in all 8 European Cup matches between 1958 and 1960, as well as three of the four European Cupwinners’ Cup ties in 1960-61.
Stan Cullis made Ron captain in 1962 but it was a team in decline that he fought gamely to hold together. Flowers missed just one league game in
the ill-fated relegation season of 1964-5 and he played all but four the year after when Wolves finished sixth in their first season in Division 2 since 1932.
His last goal for Wolves came in an 8-2 thrashing of Portsmouth at Molineux in November 1965. He made 14 league appearances in 1966-67 when Wolves gained promotion back to the top flight, his final game coming at Bristol City on 7th January.
Manager
He eventually left the following September to become player-manager of Northampton Town. He ended his career in a similar capacity at Telford United (1969-71) and in 1970 played in the final of the first FA Trophy at Wembley where they lost 2-0 to Macclesfield Town. The following year he returned as manager and led them to a 3-2 victory over Hillingdon
Borough.
After retiring Ron ran a sports shop in Wolverhampton. The business, established in 1969, still prospers on Queen Street.
Honour
On Monday, 12th October 1970 a full strength Wolves squad turned out to honour Ron Flowers in a testimonial match. A memorable appetiser to the main event took the form of a short game between the Colours and the Whites in a nostalgic recreation of the traditional pre-season friendlies of the Stan Cullis era. Bill Slater, Billy Wright, Johnny Hancocks and Jimmy Mullen were amongst the greats turning out for the Colours who lost 3-2 to a Whites team comprising the likes of Norman Deeley, Eddie Clamp, Ted Farmer and Peter Broadbent. In the main match Ron Flowers turned out at number six for the Wolves XI and duly scored in a hugely enjoyable 8-4 victory over an England XI. The ‘national team’ boasted a line-up of
Gordon Banks, Jimmy Armfield, Ray Wilson, Bobby Moore, Jimmy Greaves Geoff Hurst
and amongst a smattering of local players.
Flowers played twice for the England Under-23 team, his debut coming against Italy at Stamford Bridge on 19th January 1955. He gained 49 full caps, scoring 10 goals (6 from the penalty spot, a 100% record).
International
He made his international debut on 15th May 1955 against France, appearing alongside Wolves colleagues Bert Williams, Billy Wright and Dennis Wilshaw. From November 1958 (his second international appearance) until April 1963, he appeared in 40 consecutive England international matches; only Billy Wright had a longer run of games.
Ron made four appearances in the 1962 World Cup finals in Chile, scoring a goal from the penalty spot in each of the first two group games. England’s progress was halted in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil.
Later that year Ron enjoyed the distinction of scoring England’s first goal in a European Championship (or the European Nations Cup, as it was then known) game, against France at Hillsborough on 3rd October. He also captained his country on three occasions, all in 1964.
His last England cap came in a World Cup warm-up match against Norway in Oslo on 29th June 1966, a game that was won 6-1. At 31 years of age Flowers was the oldest member of the 1966 World Cup squad, being handed the number 17 shirt.
Although he played no active part in the tournament it is well-known that Ron narrowly missed out on playing in the final when was an overnight doubt. In 2009 he was cited as England’s best ever penalty taker, shared with Alan Shearer.
Jackie Charlton Medal
In June that year FIFA caved in to pressure from the Football Association and Ron Flowers was one of the 11 squad members who did not play in the 1966 final to be belatedly awarded a winning medal by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Tributes Roy Swinbourne:
“When Ron came into the team he was still young but you could see he was going to be good. He was strong and well-built.”
Mike Bailey: “Ron is a player that I admire above all others. I played for England with him and I was fortunate to have him to guide me as chairman in his role of president of the Wolves Former Players’ Association. A fantastic player and captain.”
Bert Williams: Ron was one of the strongest tacklers you’d ever see in your life. He was a big man and ideal for Wolves’ style of play. He could cross the ball out to the wing and always find his man. He was a nice person to know and was a tower of strength in any side.”