EVEN a survival mission at the edge of the Football League won’t stop the first manager to take Wolves into the Premier League returning to Wolverhampton.
Dave Jones has a relegation fight on his hands after coming back into football with League Two strugglers Hartlepool United.
The 60-year-old had been booked to appear at the Cleveland Arms Sports Bar, on Stowheath Lane, on Thursday March 30 before accepting the boss’ job at the Victoria Ground.
But Jones has confirmed with organisers he will be in the Black Country as planned for the date, where he’s set for a warm reception from a healthy pro-Wolves crowd.
Wolves legend Steve Bull, who never made it to such heights with the club but still played for England at the 1990 World Cup, will join him as a second special guest.
Jones was in charge at Molineux from January 2001 to November 2004 and had been living in Bridgnorth, at the home he’s retained from his time at Wolves, until his appointment at Hartlepool.
His crowning glory came in the 2003 Championship play-off final, where he masterminded Wolves’ triumph and lifted the only trophy of his 20-year plus managerial career.
Jones, a Liverpool-born former defender, is in charge of a bottom-tier Football League outfit for the first time after being out of management since he left Sheffield Wednesday on 1 December 2013.
His career had stalled on 825 games but, if you count the five years he spent as youth boss at Stockport before he took the reins in 1995 as competitive fixtures, he’s already in the ‘1,000 club.’
The 19 months he spent at the Wednesday helm was his shortest spell as a boss after longer-term projects that also saw him lead Stockport County, Southampton and Cardiff City.
He’d previously got Stockport promoted from League One as runner-up before Wolves and, later on, repeated the trick with Wednesday as well as taking Cardiff to an FA Cup final.
He had Premier League experience prior to his arrival at Wolves, a successful spell at Southampton which was cut short after what turned out to be false accusations of child abuse.
He rates his spell with Wolves as the most enjoyable period of his career and is preparing to reveal all about what life was like at that helm.
Tickets to see Jones and Bull are on sale now and start with standard entry costing £12, payable either in advance or on the door.
VIP packages are £30 including priority seating, a buffet and a professional photograph with Jones and Bull. There will be photo opportunities for standard entry passes on the night.
VIPs will be welcomed from 6pm, with standard entry from 7pm. Proceedings get underway from 8pm and there will also be a memorabilia auction and raffle.
Tickets can be purchased online, at www.clevelandarms.com. For more information, call in at the venue or dial 01902 451 021.