The Battle of Midlands: A First-Timer's Account of Wolves vs Aston Villa

From Pre-Match Excitement to Post-Match Celebrations: My Derby Day Experience

When you think of the big derbies in the Midlands and around Birmingham, you think of Birmingham v Aston Villa, Wolves v West Brom, Derby County v Nottingham Forest; though only roughly 20 miles separate the two clubs, you don’t often consider Aston Villa v Wolves as a necessarily big rivalry. 

With Villa’s city rivals Birmingham languishing in the lower reaches of the Championship and West Brom struggling to get out of the same division, the stability shown by Wolves and the former European champions has meant the fixture has taken on much more meaning and needle. 

Last Saturday (6th May 2023) I was lucky enough to secure a ticket for the game - Wolves v Villa - and eagerly awaited what lay ahead. This would be my first visit to a Premier League ground since I was bored to death as Everton succumbed to a 1-0 home defeat to Tony Pulis’s West Brom back in 2016, surely this would provide more buzz and excitement. 

A family contact came in handy in getting me set up to see this anticipated fixture, the Wolves website was useless in getting information about ticket information and had left me frustrated in my pursuit of one. Before I got lucky my only other options were websites such as StubHub and SeatPick with prices ranging from £400-£1000+. This is definitely an issue the Premier League needs to look at, essentially these sites are glorified and legal ticket touts that take advantage of supporters and football fans. 

Julen Lopetegui’s men were looking to bounce back after their trouncing at the hands of Brighton the week before, a victory was crucial in keeping the relegation chasing pack at bay. Villa’s 10 match unbeaten run had ended at Old Trafford and they wanted to get back to winning ways to keep their European hopes alive. 

Departure from the Grand Central Station in Birmingham saw the comedic side of the rivalry come to the fore. A large gathering of Villa Supporters were in full voice going through their repertoire of songs culminating in their childish but kind of hilarious chant about ‘wanky, wanky, Wanderers.’ One older female Wolves supporter took exception and proceeded to hilariously flash the v-sign in their direction. 

A fairly uneventful train journey saw us arrive in Wolverhampton where both sets of fans were sent in different directions by the police. After a brisk 10-15 min walk from the station we ambled are way under the Waterloo road bypass and into Molineux, being met by the statue of former chairman and benefactor, Jack Hayward.

Making our way through the turnstiles and into the South Stand the noise gradually was getting louder and louder. ‘Shit on the Villa, shit on the Villa tonight!’ reverberated under the stadium. Situated in one of the safe standing areas, finally getting our seats just in time for the two teams to make their way onto the pitch; the atmosphere was electric. The 2000 or so Villa fans did their best to make themselves heard, but Wolves fans were suitably pumped for the occasion and easily drowned them out. 

The game started off with the home side content to sit deep and allow their opponents the bulk of the possession. With two former Sevilla Europa League winning managers in the dugout, I was intrigued with how both would set their sides up. 

Slightly against the run of play, Toti Gomes opened the scoring from captain Ruben Neves' right sided corner. Molineux simply erupted, the noise engulfing your senses as the South Stand occupants led the chorus once again to rub salt into the wounds chanting loudly ‘Shit on the Villa.’ 

The rest of the first half was a dull affair with little talking points aside from Jose Sa’s superb save from Emiliano Buendia. For the 31, 641 in attendance there was a nervous excitement with not just bragging rights on the line, Wolves had threatening moments on the counter but were worryingly profligate in possession, struggling to find any rhythm in their passing. The atmosphere made up for the lack of action on the field. 

Classic rock belted around from speakers all around the ground at half-time - free bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd a welcome choice - an attempt at keeping the pulses raised for the battle that lay ahead in the final 45. 

Premier League super Villain Diego Costa, though a shadow of his former self, played an instrumental role in a lot of the positive play Wolves had throughout the game. With his age the former Spanish international’s physicality is on the wane but he still proved himself a nuisance to Unai Emery’s side. 

Tussling with defenders - mostly Tyrone Mings - holding the ball up to relieve the pressure on his defence and being the provocateur he is well known for; Costa had a solid outing with the Wolves fans clearly impressed. His name was sung throughout with the former Chelsea striker showing his appreciation on several occasions with gestures to the crowd. 

Costa will have been disappointed not to have doubled his side’s lead after he had sprung the offside trap after Pedro Neto teased the ball into his path. Unfortunately he could only direct his effort straight at Martinez to win a corner. 

Ashley Young gave Sa something to worry about when his shot from the edge of the area flashed past the post after John McGinns short corner, via substitute Leon Bailey made its way to the full back. 

With time ticking away and the anxiety among the Wolves fans growing, one of their players of the season Craig Dawson popped up in attack to dribble expertly from the age of the area to the corner flag, using all his strength to hold off Ezri Konsa and kill some time before winning a corner. 

His reward was to be serenaded with the unflattering chant of ‘Craig Dawson, he used to be shit, now he’s all right’ reverberating from all 4 corners.’ To be fair he took it in good humour with a wry smile. 

The final whistle blew, leading to an eruption of pure joy that can only come from beating a near neighbor and securing the right to gloat until both sides cross paths next season. 

The game certainly won’t go down as a classic by any stretch but as an experience as an outsider I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion. Wolves fans for the majority of the game were in good spirits and were a massive factor in their team grabbing the points and ultimately guaranteeing their Premier League safety. 

The day was topped off with a few of the players - Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez, Craig Dawson and Dan Bentley (Southend United legend) - posing for a few photos and signing my program. 

If the opportunity arises to visit Molineux for a game I thoroughly recommend it, the passion from the supporters and proximity of the stands to the pitch helps to create a buzz that until now I had yet to experience despite visiting famous stadiums such as the Nou Camp, the San Siro and the Stadio Olimpico. 

(I have a thing about hats, love this Wolves hat even if it makes me a plastic as I am a Southend United supporter)