How I Became A Wolves Fan - It's Robbie Dennisons Fault

I was 12 years old when I first started supporting Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club and I have never regretted the decision. Now you may be thinking that 12 is a bit old to have such a fanatic allegiance for a football club but bear with me and I will explain.

My dad was an avid Manchester United fan and raised me in the same vain. Now I had no problems with this in my youth and of course I done as my father told me to do. All that changed when on a Sunday afternoon my father and I were sitting down to watch a first division match on Meridian (when they still had the rights) and it was a Wolves match. We were quietly enjoying the match when my mum returned from work and, as per usual, moaned at the fact that we had football on the TV. "But mum", I said "It's only a match from the first division, it doesn't mean much" she just laughed at me and walked out of the room. She returned a few minutes later with a cup of tea and sat down beside me and asked who was playing. "Its Wolves, if you know who they are?" I replied. "Of course I know who they are" she said. With that I rolled my eyes with the scepticism that my mum was just trying to humour me.

As the match went on I could see my mum watching the match with more attention than I had ever seen her watch a match. "Oh, there he is" she said all of a sudden. I looked at her in surprise and returned to the TV trying to figure out who she was talking about. Wolves and Northern Ireland winger Robbie Dennison was about to come off the bench, I was amazed, how did my mum, the most complete non-football fan i had ever known know who this player was. "That's your cousin right there" she said.

WHAT..........Here I was, a 12 year old boy who was a manic football fan and I had a cousin who played professional football. I couldn't believe it. How could my mum not have told me this before. I demanded (doesn't happen often with my mum) that she let me meet him and talk to him.

A few days later, I was talking to Robbie on the phone. A couple of weeks later Wolves were playing Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the FA Cup and Robbie had managed to get some tickets for my whole family. He met us before the game and I was stunned. I couldn't believe my luck. He told my mum that if we ever wanted to go up to Molineux all we had to do was ask. The rest of my family were not interested so a couple of weeks later I was on the train up to Wolverhampton to stay with Robbie for a couple of days.

It was the best experience of my life. I saw 2 matches at Molineux, got to meet the whole team and have a tour around the ground. Since then I have never looked back. I am Wolves through and through and will never ever change my mind. Thank you Robbie, credit goes to you (and my mum of course.