WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Premier League, Saturday 14 January 2023, 3pm
West Ham United’s third of three consecutive away matches to start the New Year will be played at Molineux, where former Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla head coach Julen Lopetegui will take charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Lopetegui was in charge of Sevilla when the La Liga side were beaten 2-1 on aggregate by David Moyes’ Hammers in last season’s UEFA Europa League round of 16.
Wolves will hope the 56-year-old has better fortune when his new team host the Irons in the Premier League, seeing as they kicked-off the second part of the 2022/23 season bottom of the table.
Three-times champions of England and four-times FA Cup winners, Wolves were one of 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888.
Wolves’ home stadium since 1889, Molineux has been extensively upgraded and modernized since the takeover of the club by the late businessman Sir Jack Hayward in 1990.
There are plans in place to redevelop the Steve Bull, Sir Jack Hayward and Billy Wright Stands and increase Molineux’s total capacity to 50,000, but it still holds a more than respectable 32,050.
How to get there…
Driving to Molineux is fairly simple, but parking in the vicinity of the ground is less so, with most of the nearby car parks restricted to players, officials and permit holders on matchdays.
If you do want to drive, head up the M1 and then take the M6 to junction 10. From there take the A454 via Willenhall to Wolverhampton Ring Road.
At the first roundabout, take the fourth exit (A449 to Stafford), go straight on at the next two sets of traffic lights, then filter right at the third set of lights into Waterloo Road. Molineux appears is on the right.
Car parks are available in Birch Street (WV1 4JW), Redhill Street (WV1 1NR) and Whitmore Hill (WV1 4RU). To book a parking pass contact the Ticket Office on 0371 222 1877.
Trains leave London regularly for Wolverhampton, with direct services from Euston leaving at 08.40, 09.16, 10.16 and 11.16, arriving around two hours later. Alternatively, you can change at Stafford, with a slightly faster overall journey time.
From Wolverhampton station, it’s only a ten-minute walk to Molineux.
After the game, direct trains back to London leave Wolverhampton at 17.45 and 18.45, or 17.13 and 18.11 via Birmingham New Street, or 17.32 and 18.32 via Stafford.
Where to stay…
If you want to make a weekend, or at least a Saturday night, of it, Wolverhampton is a sizeable city with plenty of places to stay.
Unsurprisingly, the city centre itself has the usual budget chain options, plus a range of more upmarket hotels.
What to do…
As the second-largest settlement in what is known as the West Midlands Conurbation (Birmingham is the largest), Wolverhampton is a city with plenty of attractions to keep you occupied.
Named after an Anglo-Saxon noble woman named Wulfrun, who founded the city in 985, there has been a settlement where modern-day Wolverhampton lies since the seventh century.
More recently, Wolverhampton grew rapidly during the 1800s following the discovery of coal and iron deposits in the area.
The National Trust-owned Wickwight Manor was built in the 1880s to house the family of local industrialist Theodore Mander, and is now the top-ranked tourist attraction in the city, and home to an extensive art collection. It is situated three miles north of the city centre.
Families heading to Molineux, the Wild Zoological Park is situated in nearby Bobbington (DY7 5EP) and is home to dozens of species of reptiles, insects, mammals, primates and more.
What’s happened there before…
Molineux has been an unhappy hunting ground for West Ham United in recent decades, although the Irons did stun Wolverhampton Wanderers with a 3-2 Premier League win in April 2021 – our first there since August 2009, when Mark Noble (pictured) was among the scorers in a 2-0 victory.
Last season’s visit was a return to form, as Wolves edged a 1-0 win in February, while we were also beaten there in January 2019 (0-3) and December 2019 (0-2).
Looking back through the history books, our biggest-ever win there was a 5-1 FA Cup second-round victory in our first-ever meeting with Wolves on 5 February 1910.
Our best League win at Molineux was a 4-1 Second Division success on 16 December 1922.
We have beaten Wolves 5-0 twice in the top-flight, on both occasions at the Boleyn Ground, on 20 August 1960 and 7 September 1964.
