TAKE NOTE!
Wallace tells Wolves fans: Do your worst... I’ve had angry Millwall supporters throwing fivers & tenners at me as I was warming up
JED WALLACE fully expects to be loudly reminded today of the time he spent at Wolves.
But the West Brom star says the abuse probably won’t come close to that dished out to him at Millwall.
The Baggies skipper – and former Molineux loanee – is likely to hear all about his one-time allegiance on the other side of the Black Country.
The 4,000 visiting Wolves fans at The Hawthorns for this morning’s brunch-crunch in the FA Cup fourth round are unlikely to have forgotten about it.
But Wallace (left) says the old-goldand-black hordes will have their work cut out to exceed the vitriol he received on his return to the New Den in October 2022, after he had signed for the Baggies from Millwall on a free transfer the previous June.
Wallace, 29, spent six seasons in south-east London and his return there in the last campaign saw him running the gauntlet.
He also spent time at Molineux as a youngster under Kenny Jackett during the club’s days in League One.
And although he relishes the ferocity of today’s derby, he thinks that he will escape the same harshness of treatment he got that day at Millwall.
He said: “I have been lucky that I have played for three clubs, Portsmouth, Millwall and West Brom, where I feel that I’ve had a massive affiliation. They’ve been a huge part of my life, and those are times that I have always looked back on as having that natural closeness.
“But with Wolves it just kind of felt like a stop-gap for my career.
“There were new owners, and when I needed to play well, I didn’t. It never really felt part of my journey.
“I’d say I only had a little toe in the Wolves camp – and it’s nearly 10 years ago. I’m sure they won’t have forgotten. But it would be impossible for me to get any more stick from them than I did at Millwall.
“It would be some effort from Wolves fans if they were to top that. As you can imagine, the Millwall fans were lovely and friendly. No swearing or anything!
“It’s part and parcel but it was that bad I had blokes in the warm-up running up and down alongside the pitch throwing fivers and tenners at me!
“They scored the winner in the last minute, so had the last laugh. To be fair to them, that takes some topping.”
Although today’s two rivals met in the Premier League during the Covid pandemic – Albion won 3-2 at Molineux and drew 1-1 at home before being relegated at the end of the 2020-21 season – this will be their first clash actually in front of supporters for 12 years.
That gap has only fuelled the level of excitement about a derby that has seen plenty of drama, and Wallace added: “You want to make an impact at any club, be remembered and do your best – and this is an opportunity to make a lot of Baggies fans happy.
“Anyone who watches us regularly knows that we don’t lack motivation going into any sort of game, so we’ll be up for it.
“When I moved here, I wanted to really buy into the local area.
“Well, I was filling up my car at the petrol station on Thursday and a guy jumped out of his van and said, ‘You’ve got to do it on Sunday’.
“I replied, ‘Yes mate – but just let me fill up, will you? I’ll try my best!’. “I’m sure that it’s been the same for Wolves’ players. And that’s what it’s all about.
The Baggies winger said everybody at the club was relishing the visit of Wolves, currently 11th in the Premier League under boss Gary O’neil (above). “There’s a lot of pent-up excitement, aggression and a few other emotions,” Wallace added.
“The supporters, I’m sure, will be up for it. We played Aston Villa in the play-offs a few seasons ago and that’s mentioned as the benchmark.
“Hopefully, it will be something similar against Wolves – and that’s only going to help us.
“I’m sure they know how good we are at The Hawthorns. They are having a great season in the top flight with a really good manager.
“But we’ll be going into this cup tie full of confidence – and we certainly won’t lack any motivation.”