Stoke old boys ready for return

by Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport

Iwelumo and Henry return to the Britannia Stadium with Wolves fourth from bottom in the Premier League

Saturday's Premier League game between Stoke City and Wolves is a big one for both sides.

There are bragging rights, of sorts, on offer, with only 30-odd miles separating the Britannia Stadium and Molineux.

The Potters need the points to continue their impressive start to the season and cement their place in the top 10, while Wolves are desperate to drag themselves away from the relegation zone.

And if the Wolves pair of Karl Henry and Chris Iwelumo need any more motivation, then the fact that both players will be coming up against their former club should certainly provide it.

Both enjoyed differing levels of success and appreciation in the Potteries, but both will go back with a point to prove.

Henry's journey to the Premier League began at Stoke, where he struggled to make a regular first-team place his own, yet still made over 100 club appearances and also forced himself into the England Under-21 setup.

But at 23, his career had reached a crossroads.

Despite being offered a new deal by Stoke boss Tony Pulis, he decided to try his luck elsewhere, and a chance arose at Wolves, his hometown club, under newly-installed manager Mick McCarthy.

"He had a trial for me in a friendly game against Aston Villa, and it was our last game before the start of the season," McCarthy recalls.

Henry struggled to fulfil his potential at the Britannia Stadium

"He was all set to leave Stoke, and I'd asked Tony if he could play in the game, to which he said yes.

"Karl had been on the pitch for about 15 minutes and I told my assistant, Ian Evans, to sign him up. He wasn't going anywhere."

Henry completed his move to Molineux days later for an initial fee of £100,000, and has proved to be a bargain.

He is fast approaching the landmark of 150 games for Wolves and has represented, more than most, the young and hungry breed of player that McCarthy has tried to base his team around.

The likes of Michael Kightly and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake may grab the headlines for their attacking exploits, but Henry is the unheralded midfield general whom the team have missed when he has not been available.

So much so, in fact, that Kightly commented that England manager Fabio Capello should be taking a close look at Henry if his impressive early-season form continues.

"That's nice of him to say, but it's not something that I think about - I'm just concentrating on playing for Wolves," Henry responded.

But one thing he is more sure about is that he made the right decision to leave the Britannia Stadium in 2006.

"I knew I would always be a squad player at Stoke and I wanted to get away. Sometimes you have to move to get that respect.

"I've moved to a bigger club.

"At Stoke, Tony Pulis referred to me a lot as a nice passer, and I don't think I had that winning mentality.

"Looking back, that's probably the reason why I wasn't playing as much as I would have liked at Stoke. But I've certainly got that now and I can thank Mick McCarthy for that."

While Henry's progression to Premier League footballer has been steady, Scottish international Iwelumo has had to wait until the age of 31 before making his Premier League bow.

Iwelumo scored 22 goals during a four-year spell at Stoke City

His 384th career appearance, coming on as a substitute for Ebanks-Blake against Aston Villa on October 24, was his first in the top-flight in England.

The likeable striker was a favourite with Stoke fans during his four years at the Britannia Stadium, and he still holds fond memories for the club.

"I had a great time there. My relationship with the supporters there was fantastic," said Iwelumo.

"I've always had a great reception when I've gone back there and I just hope that I'm going to be involved."

Following a £400,000 move from Charlton, Iwelumo scored 15 goals in his first season at Molineux, helping Wolves to the Championship title and a return to the Premier League after a five-year absence.

A broken metatarsal during Wolves' tour of Australia in July kept Iwelumo out of action for the opening two months of the campaign, and left him one goal short of a century in club football.

"I'll be celebrating if it comes on Saturday," admitted Iwelumo.

"There will be no offence meant but I'll be doing a little jig in the corner. I scored at the Britannia Stadium before for Colchester, and the Stoke fans all cheered me. It was unbelievable.

"The fans really took to me there, just as the fans at Wolves have too."