1994–95 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season

The 1994–95 season was the 96th season of competitive league football in the history of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. They played the season in the second tier of the English football system, the Football League First Division.

Wolverhampton Wanderers
1994–95 season
ChairmanJonathan Hayward
ManagerGraham Taylor
First Division4th
(lost in play-offs)
FA CupQuarter-finals
League Cup3rd Round
Anglo-Italian CupGroup stage
Top goalscorerLeague: Steve Bull (16)
All: David Kelly (22)
Highest home attendance28,544 (vs Leicester, 18 February 1995)
Lowest home attendance7,285 (vs Atalanta,
15 November 1994)
Average home league attendance24,792 (league only)

This was the first full season since the completion of the redevelopment of their Molineux Stadium had been completed, and funding from owner Sir Jack Hayward were now fully focused on improving the team. Manager Graham Taylor spent close to £5 million during the season in an attempt to return the club to the top flight.

Despite suffering extensive injuries to many players, the team finished the season in fourth place – their highest position in the football pyramid since 1983–84 – and so qualified for the play-offs. In the play-off semi-finals they were defeated by the eventual promoted side Bolton Wanderers 2–3 on aggregate.

Results

Pre-season

Wolves' pre season saw them travel to Denmark and Sweden for several weeks of training and friendly matches. They then returned home to play two home games against Premiership opposition.

19 July 1994 Hvidovre 1–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Copenhagen, Denmark
Bull Stadium: Hvidovre Stadion
20 July 1994 Sölvesborg 1–6 Wolverhampton Wanderers Sölvesborg, Sweden
Dennison
Daley
Mills
Froggatt
Stadium: Sölvesborg
Attendance: 400
23 July 1994 Smedby 0–9 Wolverhampton Wanderers Norrköping, Sweden
Bull
Mills
Thompson
Stadium: Smedby Idottspark
Attendance: 500

Football League First Division

A total of 24 teams competed in the Football League First Division in the 1994–95 season. Each team played every other team twice: once at their stadium, and once at the opposition's. Three points were awarded to teams for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. Teams finishing level on points were firstly divided by the number of goals scored rather than goal difference. Only one team was automatically promoted due to the reduction in the number of Premiership teams from 22 to 20.

The provisional fixture list was released on 23 June 1994, but was subject to change in the event of matches being selected for television coverage or police concerns.

13 August 1994 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 Reading Wolverhampton
15:00 BSTFroggatt 11'Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,012
30 August 1994 4 Watford 2–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Watford
19:45 BSTFoster 15'
Johnson 87'
Emblen 85'Stadium: Vicarage Road
Attendance: 10,108
3 September 1994 5 Sunderland 1–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Sunderland
15:00 BSTGray 21'Venus 42'Stadium: Roker Park
Attendance: 15,111
17 September 1994 8 Burnley 0–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Burnley
15:00 BSTBull 59'Stadium: Turf Moor
Attendance: 17,766
24 September 1994 9 Portsmouth 1–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Portsmouth
15:00 BSTCreaney 11' (pen.)Walters 34'
Kelly 87'
Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 13,466
1 October 1994 10 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 Port Vale Wolverhampton
15:00 BSTThompson 51' (pen.), 79' (pen.)Allon 82'Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,469
8 October 1994 11 Swindon Town 3–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Swindon
15:00 BSTBodin 15'
Scott 28'
Beauchamp 60'
Kelly 13', 41'Stadium: County Ground
Attendance: 14,036
15 October 1994 12 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 Grimsby Town Wolverhampton
15:00 BSTThompson 12' (pen.)
Venus 66'
Groves 43'Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 24,447
22 October 1994 13 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–3 Millwall Wolverhampton
15:00 BSTBull 27', 52'
Venus 79'
Goodman 39', 86'
Cadette 84'
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,059
30 October 1994 14 Stoke City 1–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Stoke-on-Trent
14:55 GMTKeen 17'Bull 41'Stadium: Victoria Ground
Attendance: 15,928
1 November 1994 15 Bristol City 1–5 Wolverhampton Wanderers Bristol
19:45 GMTBaird 31'Walters 12'
Thompson 36' (pen.)
Kelly 63', 65', 88'
Stadium: Ashton Gate
Attendance: 10,401
5 November 1994 16 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–3 Luton Town Wolverhampton
15:00 GMTStewart 81'
Johnson 84' (o.g.)
Preece 37'
Marshall 47'
Dixon 54'
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 26,749
4 December 1994 20 Millwall 1–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers London
14:55 GMTMitchell 67'Stadium: The New Den
Attendance: 8,025
10 December 1994 21 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 Notts County Wolverhampton
15:00 GMTBull 46'Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,786
18 December 1994 22 Reading 4–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Reading
14:55 GMTOsborn 23'
Quinn 38'
Gilkes 62', 88'
Bull 9'
Quinn 58' (o.g.)
Stadium: Elm Park
Attendance: 10,136
26 December 1994 23 Oldham Athletic 4–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Oldham
15:00 GMTRitchie 3', 58', 68'
McCarthy 81'
Dennison 59'Stadium: Boundary Park
Attendance: 11,962
31 December 1994 25 Barnsley 1–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Barnsley
15:00 GMTRedfearn 21' (pen.)Dennison 1'
Mills 4'
Emblen 75'
Stadium: Oakwell
Attendance: 9,207
2 January 1995 26 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–2 Sheffield United Wolverhampton
15:00 GMTde Wolf 89' (pen.)
Emblen 90'
Blake 59', 69'Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,809
14 January 1995 27 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0 Stoke City Wolverhampton
15:00 BSTKelly 16'
Dennison 86'
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 28,298
11 February 1995 29 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0 Bristol City Wolverhampton
15:00 GMTDennison 25'
Kelly 61'
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,451
21 February 1995 30 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–2 Middlesbrough Wolverhampton
19:45 GMTVickers 55'
Fuchs 81'
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,611
25 February 1995 31 Port Vale 2–4 Wolverhampton Wanderers Burslem
15:00 GMTNaylor 18'
Kent 56'
de Wolf 2', 42' (pen.), 68'
Bull 45'
Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 13,676
5 March 1995 32 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 Portsmouth Wolverhampton
14:55 GMTBull 73'Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 23,284
8 March 1995 33 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 Sunderland Wolverhampton
19:45 GMTThompson 47' (pen.)Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,926
18 March 1995 35 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 Watford Wolverhampton
15:00 GMTThomas 23'Phillips 90'Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 24,380
24 March 1995 36 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0 Burnley Wolverhampton
19:45 GMTBull 9'
Emblen 59'
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,703
4 April 1995 38 Luton Town 3–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Luton
19:45 BSTTelfer 6', 11'
Taylor 51'
Kelly 48', 59'
Emblen 90'
Stadium: Kenilworth Road
Attendance: 9,651
8 April 1995 39 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–0 Barnsley Wolverhampton
15:00 BSTStadium: Molineux
Attendance: 26,385
12 April 1995 40 Derby County 3–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Derby
19:45 BSTSimpson 35' (pen.), 64'
Gabbiadini 52'
Goodman 11'
Richards 75', 90'
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 16,040
15 April 1995 41 Charlton Athletic 3–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers London
15:00 BSTWhyte 12'
Walsh 55'
Mortimer 61'
Bull 43', 67'Stadium: The Valley
Attendance: 10,922

Final table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1Middlesbrough462313106740+2782
2Reading462310135844+1479
3Bolton Wanderers462114116745+2277
4Wolverhampton Wanderers462113127761+1676
5Tranmere Rovers4622101467580+976
6Barnsley462012146352+1172

Source: Statto.com

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
462113127761 +167615533918 +216893843 −5

Source: Statto.com

Results by round

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
ResultWDWLDWWWWWLWDDWLLWLLWLLWWDWLWLWWWLDWWDDDLWDDDD
Position7536731111111111212322422224265434443344444444
Source: Statto.com
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Play-offs

14 May 1995 SF 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 Bolton Wanderers Wolverhampton
14:55 BSTBull 44'
Venus 51'
McAteer 46'Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 26,153
Referee: Clive Wilkes
17 May 1995 SF 2 Bolton Wanderers 2–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 agg.)
Wolverhampton Wanderers Bolton
19:30 BSTMcGinlay 44', 109'Stadium: Burnden Park
Attendance: 20,041
Referee: Steve Dunn

FA Cup

22 March 1995 QF rep. Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–4 Crystal Palace Wolverhampton
19:45 GMTD. Kelly 35'Armstrong 33', 68'
Dowie 38'
Pitcher 45'
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,548
Referee: Gary Willard

League Cup

20 September 1994 R2.1 Chesterfield 1–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Chesterfield
19:30 BSTMoss 11'Bull 63', 86'
Kelly 77'
Stadium: Saltergate
Attendance: 5,895
27 September 1994 R2.2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1
(4–2 agg.)
Chesterfield Wolverhampton
19:45 BSTFroggatt 3'Jules 52'Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 14,815
26 October 1994 R3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–3 Nottingham Forest Wolverhampton
19:45 GMTBirch 41'
Kelly 60'
Pearce 5'
Roy 21', 87'
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 28,369

Anglo-Italian Cup

Wolves played in Group A of the competition, in which the best English club in the group would advance to the semi-finals. However, they finished fourth in the group overall, and were only the second-best English side and so eliminated.

24 August 1994 Lecce 0–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Lecce, Italy
19:30 BSTKelly 81'Stadium: Stadio Via del Mare
Attendance: 1,795
6 September 1994 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–1 Ascoli Wolverhampton
19:45 BSTMarcato 57'Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 9,599
5 October 1994 Venezia 2–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Venice, Italy
20:30 BSTBottazzi 37'
Vieri 59' (pen.)
Venus 28'Stadium: Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo
Attendance: 750
15 November 1994 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 Atalanta Wolverhampton
19:45 BSTMills 39'Bonacina 7'Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 7,285

Players

Key:
  ‡ On loan from another club   * First appearance(s) for the club

Correct as of end of season. Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances in parentheses where applicable.

PosNamePGPGPGPGPGPG Notes
LeagueFA CupLeague CupPlayoffsOtherTotalDiscipline
GK Andy De Bont00000000000000
GK Paul Jones904000003016000
GK Mike Stowell3702030201045000
DF Paul Blades30(2)0302(1)0004039(3)000
DF John de Wolf1344000000017400
DF Brian Law1706000000023001
DF Neil Masters3(2)0000000003(2)000
DF Dean Richards1020000200012200
DF Peter Shirtliff (c)26(2)02020202034(2)000
DF Darren Simkin00000000000000
DF Jamie Smith24(1)01030002030(1)001
DF Andy Thompson30(1)95030204044(1)900
DF Mark Venus35(4)33(1)030214147(5)500
MF Tom Bennett4(4)02(1)00000107(5)000
MF Paul Birch8(2)11031003(1)015(3)200
MF Mark Burke00000000000000
MF Paul Cook00000000000000
MF Gordon Cowans2105100200028100
MF Tony Daley0(1)0000000000(1)000
MF Robbie Dennison21(1)46100200(1)029(2)500
MF Neil Emblen23(4)73(2)01(1)0002(1)029(8)700
MF Darren Ferguson22(2)00030004029(2)000
MF Steve Froggatt2020031002025300
MF Kevin Keen10000(1)000203(1)000
MF Jimmy Kelly00000000000000
MF Chris Marsden00000000000000
MF Mark Rankine24(3)04(1)00(1)0202(2)032(7)000
MF Geoff Thomas13(1)10010002016(1)100
MF Mark Walters1130000000011300
MF Jermaine Wright0(6)000000(1)0000(7)000
FW Steve Bull311620322110391900
FW Don Goodman2435(1)000200031(1)300
FW David Kelly38(4)156432201150(4)2201
FW Lee Mills6(5)12(1)100002110(6)300
FW Paul Stewart5(3)2000000207(3)200

Source: Wolverhampton Wanderers: The Complete Record[1]

Transfers

In

DatePlayerFromFee
6 June 1994 Tony DaleyAston Villa£1.25 million
11 July 1994 Steve FroggattAston Villa£1 million
14 July 1994 Neil EmblenMillwall£600,000
5 December 1994 John de WolfFeyenoord£600,000
5 December 1994 Don GoodmanSunderland£1.1 million
19 December 1994 Gordon CowansDerby County£20,000
23 December 1994 Brian LawQueens Park Rangers£134,000
29 December 1994 Jermaine WrightMillwall£60,000

Out

DatePlayerToFee
1 July 1994 Mark TurnerNorthampton TownFree
6 July 1994 Darren RobertsDoncaster RoversFree
August 1994 Shaun BradburyHereford UnitedFree
3 August 1994 Derek MountfieldCarlisle UnitedFree
10 August 1994 Kevin AshleyPeterborough UnitedFree
12 August 1994 Cyrille RegisWycombe WanderersFree
15 August 1994 Mark BurkePort Vale£75,000
18 August 1994 Paul CookCoventry City£600,000
19 October 1994 Kevin KeenStoke City£300,000
15 November 1994 Chris MarsdenNotts County£250,000
December 1994 Darren SimkinShrewsbury Town£36,000
2 March 1995 Lee MillsDerby County£400,000

Loans in

Start datePlayerFromEnd date
2 September 1994 Paul StewartLiverpoolNovember 1994
9 September 1994 Mark WaltersLiverpoolOctober 1994
25 March 1995 Dean RichardsBradford CityEnd of season

Management and coaching staff

PositionName
ManagerGraham Taylor
Assistant managerBobby Downes
First Team coachSteve Harrison
Youth Development OfficerRob Kelly
Youth Team coachChris Evans
Club doctorsDr Peter Ackroyd and Dr Peter Bekenn
Club PhysioBarry Holmes

References