“Have you got a minute for a call?” came the text. “I’ve had an idea…”
“Yes, no problem,” I responded with some trepidation. “Go for it…”
And so, the seeds were sown for a 24-hour penalty shootout inside Molineux. Certainly, for the first time, and probably for the last. From a Friday night through into a Saturday morning ahead of the first Championship game of the 2017/18 season against Middlesbrough. It was an eye-catching idea, more accurately a crazy one. But once he had pushed the button and decided it was possible, building on a suggestion from friend Danny O’Neil, and with support from plenty of other pals – and he had a lot of those – Steve Plant (Stephen with a ‘p’ as he would be introduced by another close mate Foz) wasn’t turning back. He never did.
Carl Ikeme had just been diagnosed with leukaemia prompting a colossal groundswell of supporter sentiment desperate to try and do something to help the hugely popular Wolves goalkeeper. And so, what followed was a ground-breaking and powerful event, held in Wolfie’s Den, which brought the entire Wolves community together. Ikeme and Plant had always got on very well. As was the case with so many former players from so many different eras.
The Nigerian international had been among the first recipients of Plant’s first book, ‘They Wore The Shirt’. An incredibly comprehensive journey through the iconic Wolves kit from its launch in 1877 to the date of publication, in late 2016. Another magnificently crazy and ambitious project. Another one which Plant, once again with the assistance of a small and intrepid band of fellow Molineux disciples, relentlessly drove forward, overcoming plenty of obstacles on the way to ultimately deliver with aplomb. An immense publication, nigh on perfection, which will forever stand the test of time.
News of his awfully premature passing at the age of 63, is one of those devastating bombshells that rocks people to their core. He was, as so often feels the tragic case in these situations, seemingly so full of life. He had retired from the ‘day job’ offering plumbing and other home services several years ago to turn his hobby into his work, namely the collection and sale of football memorabilia, mainly from his beloved Wolves. To say it was a labour of love is one of the biggest understatements of all time.
‘Retirement’ also gave him the opportunity to enjoy life more, spend more time with family and friends, and to get up bright and early to walk his three labradors, usually leading to some hilarious social media content of the three of them rolling in mud or chasing each other through the woods. More crazy scenes. Which he clearly loved and cherished.
But back to the memorabilia, and the poignant reason why Plant’s pursuit of ‘all things matchworn’ first began. His father John had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and told he had only months to live, which inspired Plant to find a practical way to share their love of Wolves, which they could cling onto together in his final days. The very first matchworn shirt purchased was of George Elokobi from the Mick McCarthy era, complete with holes and a big Vicks VapoRub stain on the front. It would prove the first of many, and his Dad – perhaps partly intrigued and engaged by what wild and wonderful shirt would come next – battled on to live for another three priceless years.
And so, continuing since then, Plant has displayed a devotion and indefatigable defiance to obtain matchworn shirts which, were such an art ever to be measured in footballing parlance, would put him in the Champions League. Not to mention the installation and development of his own Wolves Museum, a collector’s paradise, lovingly and meticulously planned and maintained. All from that Elokobi shirt. It is another of those cruelly ironic quirks of fate that on Thursday just gone, Plant was due to attend an evening with Elokobi being put on at the Mount Hotel. Why does it always happen that way? As it was, Elokobi delivered a powerful eulogy which was a wonderful tribute to the man he inspired.
Collecting shirts, however, was only a small part of how Plant’s love of Wolves evolved in recent years. A lifelong fan since his first game, against Manchester United in 1969, with John Richards and Steve Bull as his main Wolves heroes, he travelled up and down the country following his team for many years. By his own admission, he got into one or two scrapes along the way. But that was all part of the experience. He would readily admit he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea – but who is? Steve was always honest, sometimes brutally so, especially when it came to his thoughts on Wolves. Be that good, bad or indifferent. He was always true to himself, true to his personality and true to his principles.
And, in later life, those principles took him into a world of fundraising and philanthropy – which have improved and enriched the lives of thousands of others.
Alongside collecting those shirts, he not only produced his ‘They Wore The Shirt’ masterpiece but also a second edition, as well as ‘The Pack is Back’ in 2018, documenting Wolves’ incredible Championship-winning season under Nuno via so many of those who witnessed it. Among the group of players – past and present – fans and media who contributed was also the legend of rock folklore, Robert Plant. But Plant – the Steve version – proved he could deliver an evening every bit as entertaining as his illustrious but equally down-to-earth namesake with a series of memorable tribute nights to immortalise his Wolves heroes.
Derek Parkin, Kenny Hibbitt, Steve Bull, Phil Parkes, Andy Thompson and Steve Daley were all honoured at events which carried an atmosphere way beyond the norm of a ‘decent night out’. Those nights were something else. Truly special. For one fan to have set out with an idea and a concept, and once again – with the help of others – pulled it off with such extraordinary success, was very ambitious. Crazy, even. And Plant nailed it once again. Each and every time.
What those events also did, alongside regular visits to the training ground, was build up his relationships with former players. Those relationships often amounted to far more than merely putting pen to paper on a shirt or piece of memorabilia. Founded on mutual trust and that shared love of football and Wolves, so many initial conversations turned into long-lasting friendships. So many of those former players are equally devastated to have heard this painful news.
And of course, contained within all these activities, was fundraising. Usually, extraordinary amounts of fundraising. His father’s cancer battle was the inspiration behind so much of the money raised being directed to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. That particular charity was his father’s choice. He also raised thousands for Cure Leukaemia, as well as supporting many other equally important causes via initiatives organised by friends. And friends were massive to Steve Plant. He was incredibly loyal to them, incredibly supportive, just as they were to him in return.
The pack mentality of the Molineux fanbase permeated throughout his life. Not to mention a huge degree of self-effacing humour. Taking the mickey out of himself was a time-honoured pastime. And nights out for Plant and company were not necessarily for the faint-hearted. The same with away trips. But they were packed with fun and laughter. And an endless supply of hilarious stories. He lived life as it should be lived. Everything was left out on the pitch, and nothing in the dressing room.
When deservedly receiving Wolves’ Rachael Heyhoe Flint award for services to the community back in 2018, heading on stage in front of a room of over 1,000 people took him temporarily out of his comfort zone. “I’ve done some daft stuff over the years and made decisions I am not particularly proud of, but it’s a memory I will take to the grave,” he reflected later. “I know it shouldn’t have been me up on that stage, but it felt like I really was representing thousands of Wolves fans who I had grown up with for a good 50 years.” He had every right to be up on that stage. And yes, he probably was representing all those other Wolves fans who always wanted to be able to help and just needed to be shown the way. An ambitious way, and sometimes a crazy way, but definitely the Plant way.
It is only just over a fortnight until the planned launch of his latest book – Old Gold and Black – a new volume of ‘They Wore The Shirt’, coinciding with the biggest ever exhibition of Wolves matchworn shirts with over 200 on show at the Mount Hotel. It is the wish of his lovely wife Andrea and the family that the event will still go ahead, as a tribute, and in his memory. Amid that feeling, undoubtedly everyone’s thoughts go out to Andrea, daughters Leah, Talisa, Lauren and Abbie, and his four grandchildren Layton, Raegan, Carmen and Cruz, whose grief at such a sudden loss must be unimaginable.
In the foreword to the second volume of ‘They Wore The Shirt’, Plant wrote: ‘I dedicate this book to every Wolves fan sadly no longer with us and hope that we continue to do them proud.’ Now, painfully, he is added to that list of those Molineux devotees who are both so sadly missed but always remembered. In his case, mainly with a smile, a comment or sometimes with an inappropriate story.
He may never have ‘worn the shirt’ of the Molineux heroes he loved and treasured and whose careers he documented. On the pitch at least. But with his decades of support, unstinting work for charity and the legacy of the creative efforts of his later life, Steve Plant carried a gold and black torch whose light will never be extinguished.
PICTURES COURTESY ED BAGNALL
