50 years of hatred. That pretty much sums up the relationship between the various factions of Wolves and Chelsea fans over the last 5 decades. So why have Wolves fans, and in particular their firms, throughout the decades, always hated the Chelsea Headhunters? Let’s find out by hearing the stories.
First we have Wolves Old Boy Mick, an ex Southbanker and Subway Army member, who told us…”Yes, I remember it well, the 70s Wolves were arguably at their height. We had several serious clashes with Chelsea’s Headhunters, but then again, who didn’t. Before the season 76/77 Chelsea had always been to Wolves but they had the massive South Bank to themselves so just had an easy day out, like many firms. Wolves “firm” started going in the South Bank in 75/76 when has a new firm if you like, they had some successes against several infamous firms. But the seasons 76/77 and 77/78 were particularly important for Wolves reputation because never again would a firm walk around the Southbank unchallenged, as they used to do before these seasons mentioned. There is one caviat to that. Liverpool last match 76/76 season where 30,000 scousers just took over the whole of the South Bank when they won the league by beating us 3-1. Wolves usual Southbankers couldn’t even get in to the ir own end, so full it was of scousers. Anyway, I digress. We were discussung the events with Chelsea weren’t we? Okay.”
The North Stand Lies
“The first at Stamford Bridge December 76, we took about 2,000 for the game. There was one line of Police who didn’t seem that bothered in what Chelsea were up to. They tried several times to break through the cordon and failed, their North Stand boys I mean. Eventually, right near the end of the game, perhaps right at the end, they broke through the police lines and attacked full on. About 200 of our boys did leg it onto the pitch and out of the ground, but the main Wolves firm of about 2,000 stayed and repelled the Chelsea onslaught. So it’s rubbish when Chelsea say they “run us out of the ground”, but a few did run, I have to admit. It was a very hostile atmosphere and worse than I expected on my first ever visit to Chelsea, but this was the infamous Headhunters, so there you go. After the match, they tried that infamous tactic of ambushing us at one of the tube stations, I can’t remember which one, but we were able to stop them boarding the train and eventually repelled them. I also heard the coaches got smashed up and the escort got attacked. I mean a thoroughly horrible day, but this was Chelsea after all.”
“The same season 76-77 I know both us and Chelsea ran amok at most grounds. We ruled every ground apart from Chelsea, Millwall (where no-one turned up) Forest (were we got in late and got battered in different sections of the ground) and Cardiff, who turned out in big numbers for us, but a draw I reckon that one. All the other grounds we were pretty dominant, including Bolton, last match of the season, were we invaded the pitch and attacked their Lever end. I still remember about 20 of their boys remaining at the front of their stand, battling to stop Wolves getting in, like a scene from Rourke’s Drift in Zulu’s, so fair play to them. Anyway, what I experienced at Chelsea, was no different to what other firms were experiencing in the South Bank at Wolves. Several firms were surrounded that season, including Cardiff at a night match in April, although to be fair, they didn’t bring that many about 500 I think it was, but I remember them being surrounded on all sides and attacked. Some other firms left the ground for their own safety. I mean, this is in division 2 don’t forget, so were weren’t meeting the really big firms yet, apart from the ones already mentioned, that would be next year when we got promoted back to Division 1.”
Chelsea Are Banned But Turn Up In Droves!
“The 2nd encounter with the Headhunters came last home match of the season, when we needed a point to win the league and they needed a point to get promoted, known today as the “promotion riot”. They were banned from attending away matches, but still bought 5-6000 to the South Bank. I’ve never seen so many Cockney’s pretending to support Wolves to get into the ground. It was ferocious stuff with both firms separated by 2 line of police, sometimes the lines hold and sometimes they didn’t, but there was no backing off from the Chelsea hordes, they gave as good as they got. After the match it was on the pitch for both firms, initially celebrating with each other, but then it turned ugly and some violence occurred on the pitch until mounted police restored order. Then it was out of the ground and onto the streets surrounding Molineux. This is where the serious disorder took place In all my years of following Wolves home and away, I don’t remember seeing this level of violence and I got to say, Chelsea were well up for it. It ebbed and flowed like a tidal wave, sometimes them running us, sometimes us running them, with the police valiantly trying to keep control. I can honestly hold my hands up and say “fair play” to Chelsea, they were immense under severe pressure. I would call the day a score draw, just like the actual match!”
Cowardness Or Fair Game?
“The 3rd event was the season after next August 1978/79 season. By now a fence had gone up ai the South Bank, so no more fighting within the stand like there used to be. Anyway we played them in a night match, think it was 2nd home match of the season. We were right next to them in the South bank, with the fence in between us. Then with 15 minutes to go, Chelsea all left the ground. We thought, to try and get into our section by walking round to the now open gates, either at the back of the South bank or at the bottom left hand corner. So some Wolves went to both entrances to block any move by them to get in. But all of a sudden, a mighty roar went up in the stand opposing us, the North Bank, of “Chelsea, Chelsea” and then the headhunters charged at the old men, women and children who occupied the North Bank. Pandemonium ensued, with several crush injuries and mass panic as people tried to get away from the violence.”
“Some brave scarfers tried to fight back, but Chelsea has the element of surprise and mayhem ensued. Us in the South Bank are trying to get our lot together for an attack on the Chelsea mob who have now disappeared from the North bank, leaving behind a trail of mayhem and carnage. The whole episode lasted no more than 3 minutes, and now, our mob was searching for the Headhunters, but to no avail, they were nowhere to be seen. To this day, nearly 50 years later, I have no idea where they disappeared to. I only know it was the single most cowardly event I ever saw carried out by another firm. I did have real respect for Chelsea’s mob, always bought it to Wolves, but not after this, it was a truly pathetic move. I have heard since, Chelsea fans saying they didn’t realise Wolves home end had changed, and that they thought we had firms in both ends, but when a firm is massed up next to you in the South Bank, you gotta be pretty thick to think that’s not the Wolves firm, you know, the one trying to get to you all game. Anyway, I know you’ve done a video about it on this channel, so maybe people go watch it and make uop their own mind.”
Wolves Finally Succumb To The Headhunters
“The 4th event wasn’t at either Wolves or Chelsea, it was at Reading’s Elm Park August 30th 1978, just 8 days later. I heard from a West Brom mate at work, who had been to the Reading festival that Chelsea had unfinished business with us because of the events of the previous Tuesday, but we thought we’d go anyway. I think we took 10 coaches and we waited for all to arrive before we entered the ground, so about 500 of us, mainly lads I would say, but some scarfers as well. Once the roar of “Wanderers” went up behind the goal, this mob appeared from nowhere, around 500 of them, and tore into us, sending everyone scattering, some into other areas of the ground, a few onto the pitch. I can still see one massive Wolves lad trying to rally the fleeing troops as Chelsea scattered us all over the place. It was total humiliation, the likes I saw a few times as a Wolves fan, but we did usually have a go back, not this time, it was a complete capitulation. We were battered by the Headhunters, there’s no other way of saying it. They were everything we were not, organised, determined, resolute, we were hopelessly outclassed and pathetic.”
“Those events made Wolves realise that they needed to do a lot more organising for away matches, and I think it’s one of the reasons the Subway Army appeared in the 80s, after hearing us Old boys telling stories of Reading, and Forest, and Man United in the cup, and not showing at Millwall. I’ve always said, Wolves were very under-estimated because we were so dis-organised away from home, and basically, all the main firms didn’t worry about our visits, but we would dominate places like, Leicester, Derby, Plymouth (where we run them all round Home Park-literally), but when we had to go to the big boys, it was always back to the wall sort of “Warriors” scenario. I’m sure we weren’t alone in that, but at home, I think we were okay, nothing special, on our day, could take on the big boys, but West Ham’s, Liverpools, Chelsea, Man United’s were afraid of coming to us, they enjoyed coming to us, probably because there was no fence until February 1978. Just a thin blue line of Police that sometimes held sometimes didn’t. That fence going up, really did spoil all the fun. No more “You’re surrounded” songs. Just ambushing in the subways. But that’s another story for another day.”
Chelsea Tell Their Story
Chelsea ex-Headhunters Terry told us….”Wolves away was an easy day out for the Headhunters, always had been. I remember all of those games. The first one at Chelsea, I was in the North Stand and he’s correct in that we were evil that day. We had heard that Wolves quite fancied themselves as they were running amok at lower level grounds, so we thought we’d give them a lesson. I think we did, most of them legged it at the end, when we broke through. They shit themselves at Earls court station when we attacked them there, on their way back to Euston. I don’t know what happened to their coaches, but I’m sure it wasn’t good. The 2nd match mentioned was another easy day out for Chelsea. We were banned but still took 10,000. I mean look, they were right next to us and tried to get to us all game, but are you seriously telling me 2 lines of police can stop 10,000 blokes from getting at each other, no, it’s all an excuse, we didn’t really try to get at them, if we had, they would have been on their toes.. After the match, both sets invaded the pitch, but I thought we took the piss really, marching around the pitch like we owned it. It was only after that, outside the ground that they had a real go at us, I do remember that, bottles and bricks were coming at us from all angles, but we held firm as we always did and ran then back down that big hill in Molineux street I think it was. Anyway, they didn’t come back.”
“Now to the controversial 3rd match, the night match were we took their North Bank. Look, listen, I don’t fucking know, which end is which. Our leaders were saying the North Bank was their home end, and yer, they did have a firm next to us in the South Bank, but we thought the North Bank was their end, so we didn’t bother with the little Micky Mouse firm next to us, we went for what we thought was the big boys in the North Bank. Once we realised they were old uns and Grandads and kids, we left the place, I don’t think we threw more than 3 punches and they all fled. It’s not our fault they were all cowards. But hey, I get their Beef. I wouldn’t be happy with a firm attacking our Shed end, but it did happen with West Ham, Arsenal and Millwall all giving it a go, even though they all knew the North Stand was were the Chelsea Headhunters occupied, but you don’t hear me moaning on about it for 50 odd years, these things happen, sometimes it’s not obvious were certain clubs have certain firms etc.”
Headhunters Organise Themselves
“The 4th event at Reading was a masterclass of organisation. We did warn them before hand when some of our boys met some of theirs at the Reading festival, but they either ignored the warning or didn’t think we would carry it out. It went strictly to plan and Wolves got done big time. No disputing that, we battered them. They had to leg it onto the pitch and elsewhere to get away from the carnage we caused that night. Total humiliation for them. Never rated them, even at their place, easy day out for the Headhunters. I know a few Spurs, West Ham and Millwall lads who all say the same, so not just Chelsea. Just ask yourself, has anyone ever been done at Wolves? I don’t think so. Nuff said for now.”
We thank Mick and Terry for their recollections. It’s clear that these two firms have and had a great dislike of each other, I think more so Wolves against Chelsea for what Wolves see as a “cowardly attack” on their North Stand by the Headhunters. But the Reading event didn’t help much did it? Where you present at any of these? let us know what you saw in the comments.
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