Wolverhampton Wanderers have a long and illustrious history and, between them, these two lifelong supporters have seen the great team of the 1950s dominate English football and the dreadful administrators of the 1980s drag the club to the verge of extinction. But out of darkness cometh light is the club’s motto, and Mick McCarthy’s team are pushing hard for a return to the elite of the game.

Perhaps Sylvain Ebanks-Blake, Wayne Hennessy and Kevin Foley will then deserve entry to the golden hall of fame below. Peter Lansley is The Times’s Midlands football correspondent, a season ticket holder at Molineux since 1974 and the author of Running With Wolves (Thomas Publications, 2004); John Lansley, his father and a season-ticket holder since the Second World War, helped offer some perspective from the club’s greatest era. Their judgements have been made on players they have seen in the flesh. But, even so, there are bound to be some others you would argue deserve membership …

50 Danny Crainie

The man who sank the Albion at the Crem. With Graham Hawkins’ team hurtling down towards the second division, without a win in the first three months of the season, the waif-like left winger scored twice in a 3-1 victory away to West Bromwich Albion to earn immortality at Molineux.

49 Jon Purdie

Could have been a star. Reared at Arsenal, he joined Wolves at their lowest ebb, starting as a dashing centre-forward, moving to the wing and settling into the anchor midfield role. Used to leave his training kit in the dressing room every day as they couldn’t pay the laundry bill.

48 Steve Kindon

The Tank endeared himself to Wolves fans, from scoring on his debut in August 1972, after signing from Burnley for £100,000. Signed as Derek Dougan’s successor, he had to bide his time, and was often used on the left wing, or as the substitute, but had great strength and speed.

47 Willie Carr

As talented as he was hard-working, Carr played in the late 1970s/ early 1980s team, the perfect foil for Ken Hibbitt, scoring on his debut in a 7-1 home win over Chelsea in 1975 and going on to win the 1977 second division title and 1980 League Cup.

46 Lee Naylor

Just edges Mark Venus out as the best attacking left-back of modern times, Naylor was a local lad made good. Divided opinion like few others, some disliking his mistakes, others loving him for his whole-hearted, raiding skirmishes up the left wing. Spent a decade at the club before joining Celtic.