FOOTBALLING legends and rock star Robert Plant were among celebrities who paid tribute to a Wordsley Wolverhampton Wanderers fan and author whose latest book was launched posthumously following his sad death a few weeks ago.
More than 250 people attended the launch of ‘Old Gold and Black’ held at the Mount Hotel on Sunday (October 13).
The event proved a perfect tribute to the life of Steve Plant, from Wordsley, who has written three of the most comprehensive books ever published on the men from Molineux, raising more than £250,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital in the process.
The popular Wolves supporter died on September 23 aged 63 - a few weeks before his latest delve into the famous club’s history was due to be unveiled.
Led by his wife Andrea and the family, a committee of friends was quickly formed to make sure the ‘launch’ went ahead, and a sell-out crowd attended at the weekend.
In addition to a first view of the book, which is available from from Waterstones or by visiting https://www.conkereditions.co.uk, there was also the largest exhibition of Wolves memorabilia ever held outside of Molineux, with more than 200 ‘match worn’ shirts from Steve Bull, Ruben Neves, Derek Dougan, Frank Munroe, Kenny Hibbitt and John Richards on display.
Steve had watched Wolves all over the country for more than 55 years, a passion passed down by his father John.
When his dad was given a cancer diagnosis, he decided to throw all his energy into starting a match worn shirt collection to give them both a shared purpose. This quickly morphed into a museum that now has more than 300 shirts and 100+ artefacts from the club’s history.
The former heating engineer didn’t stop there, writing his first book ‘They Wore the Shirt’ in 2016 and arranging a 24-hour penalty shoot-out with fans to support Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme.
A second volume of the publication quickly followed before the first of a series of Tribute Evenings were held to celebrate some of the finest players to ever wear Gold and Black, including Steve Bull, Kenny Hibbett, John Richards and Derek Parkin.
Through all the books and the events, Steve successfully raised more than £250,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital and won the prestigious Rachel Heyhoe Flint Award in 2018 at the Wolverhampton Wanderers end of season awards ceremony.
Dave Foster, a lifelong friend and fellow Wolves supporter, said: “The Old Gold and Black shirt exhibition and book launch was very emotional. Over 250 people were there, and we were be joined by Bully, Andy Thompson, Suzi Perry, Steve Daley, Paul Butler, Robbie Dennison, Carl Ikeme and many others.
“We knew Steve’s tireless fundraising had touched so many people’s lives but even we have been blown away by the response. A lot of individuals have been in touch that we never knew he had helped.”
Steve’s funeral, which is for family and close friends only, will be held on Friday October 18 at Stourbridge Crematorium.
An online fundraiser in Steve’s memory has raised more than £650 to date for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. People can make a donation on the JustGiving website (Steve's fundraiser for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity).
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