Haaland’s half-ton is the first since the Tipton Terror
Erling Haaland is the first player in 34 years to hit 50 goals in a season. STEVE GORDOS recalls the last time that feat was achieved by someone from England’s top four divisions
With 52 goals in a season, Bull had eclipsed the 43 scored by Dennis Westcott in 1938-39
IT hardly looked likely that Steve Bull would rattle up a 50-goal total when the 1988-9 season began. But he did – and wrote his name into English football history.
The Tipton-born striker failed to score in five of the first six games as newly-promoted Wolves adjusted to life in the Third Division, as the Football League’s Division 1 was then known.
His only goals in those first six matches came in the League Cup, then known as the Littlewoods Cup, as he struck twice when Birmingham City were beaten 3-2 in the first leg of their first-round clash at Molineux.
Twice behind, Wolves won the game in the 81st minute thanks to one of the flukiest goals of Bull’s career. Blues keeper Tony Godden could not hold a Robbie Dennison shot and the ball rebounded into the net off the centre-forward’s knees. Bull had earlier wiped out an Andy Thompson own goal when he headed home a Dennison cross. Blues won the second leg 1-0 and took the tie on away goals.
At the fifth attempt, Bull scored his first league goal of the season, the only one in the home game against Aldershot, toe-poking the ball home after Andy Mutch’s pass had been deflected to him. He then scored twice in each of the next two games, Swansea being beaten 5-2 away followed by a 3-3 home draw with Port Vale.
The goal machine was now up and running again and after 19 league and cup games he had totalled 13, including one in a 3-0 home win over Southend on November 5 which saw Wolves go to the top of the table. That was where they stayed.
In the next five games, Bull went goal crazy, scoring no fewer than 12 times which meant he had totalled 25 from just 24 games.
The spell began with four against Preston at Molineux and he also scored four in Wolves’ next home game as Port Vale were beaten 5-1 in the Sherpa Van Trophy preliminary stage. A third successive home hattrick came when Mansfield Town were beaten 6-2 as Wolves continued to take the Third Division by storm.
Another Molineux triple came as Bristol City were beaten 3-0 in the preliminary stage of the Sherpa Van Trophy. His first, a mis-hit shot which trickled over the line, was his 100th for the club. There was yet another triple as Fulham were beaten 5-0. That meant Bull was averaging exactly a goal a game – 34 from 34.
Home hat-trick number-6 came as Bury were beaten 4-0 and Bull was still averaging a goal a game when he scored in Wolves’ next match – a 2-0 defeat of Hereford United in the Sherpa Van semi-final – 41 games, 41 goals.
In the Sherpa Van Southern Area final, Bull’s two goals in a 2-1 away win over Torquay seemed to have paved the way for Wolves to defend at Wembley the trophy they had won there a year earlier. Torquay had other ideas, winning the second leg 2-0 at Molineux.
Bull failed to score in the next two games (1-1 at home to Swansea and 0-0 at Huddersfield), so for the first time since the early days of the season he had gone three games without a goal. It was merely a blip and both goals in the 2-0 home win over Bristol City and another in the 3-2 home win over Northampton took his total to 49.
May 9 was a momentous date for the club and for Bull. Sheffield United were held 2-2 at Molineux, enabling Wolves to clinch the Third Division title, and when he headed in a cross from his partner-in-goals Mutch, season’s goal number-50 arrived for the “Tipton Terror”.
In scoring 52 goals in the previous campaign, Bull had eclipsed the Wolves seasonal best of 43 by Dennis Westcott set in 1938-9. Now there was a chance he could better Westcott’s club record for most league goals in a season – 38 in 1946-7. With two games to go, Bull had 37 league goals to his name. In the first of these, Wolves shared six goals with Preston at Deepdale but Bull was a provider not a finisher this time. That was the end of Bull’s bid to claim another record as he was victim of his own success. He and Mutch had been called up by Bobby Robson for the England B team’s tour, and they had to leave before Wolves’ last league game of the season when Wolves drew 1-1 at Wigan.
Bull did well for England B, as Switzerland were beaten 2-0, Iceland 2-0 and Norway 1-0, scoring in the latter two games. The Wolves hero was a sub in the first two games but started
against Norway and scored from the penalty spot.
It got even better for Bully. Returning home, he was drafted into the full England squad and came on as sub after 31 minutes against Scotland at Hampden Park. Bull seized his chance, scoring England’s second goal in a 2-0 win ten minutes from time.
Afterwards there was the inevitable speculation that the top-flight clubs would come calling for his services but Bull pledged his loyalty to Wolves “The fans love me and I feel the same about them. I couldn’t do any better anywhere else. If the offers get so big the club felt it has to cash in on me, then it will be their decision, not mine.”
Bull remained true to his word and when he finally had to hang up his boots, he had scored 306 goals for the gold and black.
Some sources wrongly state that Middlesbrough legend George Camsell also did a 50-50. He didn’t. Camsell did score a century of goals over two seasons but it was 63 in 1926-7 and 37 the following season.
Returning to the Haaland comparison, it’s worth noting that the Norwegian’s haul includes eight penalties. Bully didn’t need any spot kicks to reach his total.
Haaland may have other ideas but, for the moment, scoring a half century of goals in successive seasons remains the unique achievement of Stephen George Bull.