Wolverhampton Wanderers make the trip to Anfield for an FA Cup fourth round tie this weekend – but what happened to the last Wolves XI that faced Liverpool?
January 2012 saw Wolverhampton Wanderers battling for their Premier League status – as they welcomed then 5th placed Liverpool to Molineux. However, the encounter ended disappointingly for the home side – with goals from Andy Carroll, Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt giving Liverpool a 3-0 victory.
Just weeks after the loss to Liverpool, Wolves sacked manager Mick McCarthy, replaced him with assistant Terry Connor, and ultimately finished bottom of the Premier League upon the culmination of the 2011-12 campaign. McCarthy would find re-employment later in 2012 by joining current club Ipswich Town – but what happened to the rest of the line-up?
GK: Wayne Hennessey – The Welsh international stopper made 166 appearances for Wolves between 2006 and 2014, playing a significant part in the promotion to the Premier League, maintaining a two-year stay in the top flight and also the decline into League One football. Hennessey departed Molineux in the January transfer window of 2014 to join current side Crystal Palace. The goalkeeper has enjoyed plenty of success with the Welsh national side in recent years, including the fantastic Euro 2016 Semi-Final achievement.
RB: Kevin Foley – Having been injured until the month of the Liverpool game, the right back played 16 Premier League games in the 2011-12 season and made a total of 213 appearances for Wolves before departing in 2015. Foley had spells in Denmark with FC Copenhagen, experienced a reunion with McCarthy at Ipswich and now finds himself playing in League One with Coventry City.
CB: Roger Johnson – Club captain for the 2011-12 season, Johnson signed from Birmingham City after their relegation the previous year and was at the heart of a Wolves defence that conceded 82 goals in 38 Premier League games. However, once McCarthy was terminated in February 2012, Johnson played just two further games for Wolves before their relegation into the Championship.
Johnson found favour under new manager Stale Solbakken, but suffered a third relegation in three seasons when Wolves were demoted to League One at the end of 2012-13. Johnson did not feature at all in 2013-14 and, after two loans, permanently departed Molineux in 2015 – since gone on to have spells with Charlton Athletic and in the Indian Super League.
CB: Christophe Berra – Following relegation from the Premier League, Berra handed in a transfer request – but didn’t leave Wolves until the following year. Consequently, the defender played the majority of the 2012-13 season for the Wanderers before being reunited with McCarthy at Ipswich Town in the summer of 2013, where the Scottish international remains to this day.
LB: Stephen Ward – The Ireland international played more than 200 times for Wolves during a seven year spell that ended with a transfer to Burnley in 2014. After spending the 2013-14 season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, Ward almost joined the Seagulls on a permanent basis – but the lure of a return to the Premier League with Sean Dyche’s men was too good to turn down.
CM: Egger Jonsson – The Iceland international made his league debut for Wolves in the 3-0 loss to Liverpool – and only made three more Premier League showing thereafter. Jonsson struggled to adapt to the rigour of top level English football and upon leaving Wolves, having made no impact whatsoever, joined Portugal’s Belenenses before a move to Denamark with FC Vestsjælland. The 28-year-old Jonsson is currently turning out for Fleetwood Town in League One.
CM: Emmanuel Frimpong – Having signed on loan in the January transfer window, Frimpong made the fourth of his five Wolves appearances in the 3-0 loss to Liverpool. However, in his next outing – a 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers – Frimpong ruptured cruciate knee ligaments and returned to parent club Arsenal. Never fulfilling his early promise, Frimpong played a handful of games for Charlton, Fulham and Barnsley – before a move to Russia materialised in 2014.
CM: David Edwards – The only surviving member of the Wolves team that last faced Liverpool, 30-year-old Welsh international David Edwards has played close to 300 games for the Molineux club to date. Like compatriot Hennessey, the midfielder has been a vital part of Wales’ recent successes on the international stage. Edwards is in his tenth season at Wolves and is also likely to make the starting XI for this weekend’s FA Cup tie at Anfield.
RM: Michael Kightly – The winger’s 18 appearances in the 2011-12 season were to be his last for Wolves, as Kightly’s seven year stay at Molineux ended upon relegation to the Championship. Spells at Watford and Stoke City followed, before Kightly joined current club Burnley in 2014.
LM: Matt Jarvis – Another who left the club after their Premier League relegation, Jarvis made a move that saw him remain in the top flight by joining West Ham United in the summer of 2012. The winger’s four year stint at Upton Park ended in January 2016 when Jarvis signed for Championship outfit, and current employers, Norwich City.
FW: Steven Fletcher – Despite scoring 12 Premier League goals in his 32 top-flight appearances in 2011-12, Fletcher could not save Wolves from relegation. The following season, Fletcher signed for Sunderland – scoring almost a goal every four games – before a rather left-field switch to Marseille in 2016. The Scotland international is now starring for Sheffield Wednesday – where he has scored six goals so far this season.
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