Wolves fan gets 100th birthday football wish

A 100-year-old World War Two veteran and committed Wolves fan, who had not been to a game in years, watched his beloved team from the comfort of the directors' box at the weekend - as a reward for more than six decades of support.

Sydney Ball, who lives in Ipswich, was nominated for a Wolves Wish by his friends, who initially just asked the club to send him a birthday card signed by the players.

But he ended up watching Wolves come from behind to beat Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Saturday from the best seats in the house.

"I totally enjoyed Wolves beating Ipswich," said Mr Ball. "The game itself had everything."

Wolves Wishes is an initiative run by the club's charity, the Wolves Foundation, which aims to give back to deserving fans from across the world.

A former Lancaster bomber pilot in the RAF, Mr Ball became a Wolves fan after WW2 when living in London with his wife and son Jeff, who have both since passed away.

"It was amazing how we became Wolves fans really, because we lived on the edge of London and Jeff... for some unknown reason, he just went for Wolves and it spun off from there," he explained.

Mr Ball was nominated by his friends - and Ipswich fans - Gemma and Paul Chenery, who run his favourite pub.

"He's lost his wife and his son, who were both big Wolves fans, and he's told us lots of stories about watching Wolves," said Mrs Chenery. "So just before his birthday, I thought I'd get in touch and just ask for a card signed by the players – but it's literally gone mad."

For Mr Ball's centenary celebration, the club sent him a package of gifts, as well as a personal message from former Wolves and England striker Steve Bull.

He was then invited to be guest of honour at the Ipswich match.

"When we turned up to his house to pick him up, he had his Wolves tie on, his Wolves scarf on," said Mrs Chenery. "To be honest, it didn't matter about the score from our point of view because it was an amazing day for us seeing him enjoy it."

On the day, Mr Ball met club directors John Gough and John Bowater - as well as the vice-president, rock legend and Wolves fan Robert Plant.

"He kept smiling the whole day," Mrs Chenery added. "He kept laughing and saying how he couldn't believe what was going on."

Mr Ball has also been invited as a special guest to Spurs' visit to Molineux on Sunday.

"It's been a very long time since I last went to Molineux," he said. "Tell them I'm coming up there, so my instructions are 'they've got to win'."

Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.