The 31-year-old was a beloved figure at Wolverhampton Wanderers before exiting after their 2012 relegation.
Former Wolves winger Michael Kightly has accepted the barrage of boos he received against his former club at the weekend, the Express and Star reports, and has defended his decision to leave Molineux in 2012.
The sprightly winger was a bonafide fans favourite during an excellent six years in Wolves colours after joining from non-league Grays Athletic, helping the club return to the Premier League in 2009 with eight league goals.
However, Kightly was denied the chance to make a serious mark on the top flight after suffering a series of injuries, missing 16 months of action and being left out of the club’s 25 man squad for the first half of the 2010/11 campaign.
As a result, a number of supporters felt betrayed by his decision to leave Wolves for Stoke City after their relegation in 2012, especially as the club had invested so much time and patience nursing him back to health.
Needless to say, it didn’t go down too well when Kightly scored in Burton’s 2-1 victory against Paul Lambert’s side at the weekend, though the 31-year-old insists that he has a huge amount of respect of his former club.
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“I’d celebrate against any other team that I’ve played (against), to be honest, other than Wolves,” Kightly told the Express and Star. “They gave me my chance in football, and I owe everything to Wolves for that – and that will stay with me until I die.
“There’s a lot of Wolves fans that don’t really know what happened with me leaving, but they are entitled to their opinions. I love Wolves as a club.
“I left because I had to leave. But they don’t know that, the fans.”
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Therefore, it appears somewhat harsh to subject Kightly to such abuse. He is clearly not a run-of-the-mill, money-seeking mercenary.
In fact, it’s refreshing to see a player so respectful to his former employers, not to mention the fans. Maybe, then, they should cut him some slack.
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