'I still pinch myself even now' - Wolves legend Steve Bull shares fond memories of Italia '90 after 35 years

1990. Time for Guru? Or time for an Italian summer.  Time for a wonderful theme tune featuring Pavarotti.  Time for England’s backstreet international, the Tiptonian Wolves legend, who gave the gold and black faithful a magical few weeks in the midst of an incomparable 13 years.

 Stephen George Bull.  Who, in the space of just over five years, was catapulted from the non-league pitches of the Midlands and a career-threatening knee injury to representing his country in a World Cup.   With Three Lions on his shirt, and the pride of the Wolfpack in his heart.

 The greatest, centre forward, that the world has ever seen.  At the Greatest Show on Earth.

 Even now, 35 years on, for the fans who lived through it, whether those who travelled to Italy to watch Bully play, or those who followed every cough and spit on television back at home, it still remains surreal.  A Wolves hero, from the Second Division, mixing it on the world stage not only with some of the country’s most iconic figures but the very best players on the planet.

 It is difficult to truly put into words the feeling of excitement and anticipation of a tournament that extended beyond just cheering on England.  There hadn’t been a Wolves player gaining minutes for England at a World Cup for 28 years, going back to Ron Flowers in 1962.  And there hasn’t been once since. It was truly a special time.   Of course, mainly for the man himself.

 “I come down the stairs in my house every morning and see my framed England shirt on the wall, signed by Sir Bobby Robson and the players, and my fourth placed medal,” Bull revealed this week.

 “And I still pinch myself, even now.

 “Did I actually do that? Is that really my shirt?  It is still surreal now, never mind back in the day.

 “There was a time I thought my chance had gone, and when I had a piece of bone floating in my knee at 17, I thought I was never going to be a footballer.

 “I needed surgery, but managed to come through, and moved from Albion to Wolves in the lower reaches of Division Four.

 “And just under four years later, I was off with England to a World Cup.  It’s crazy when you think about it.”

 Infact, the whole Steve Bull story is crazy when you think about it. A total of 306 goals for one club.  Hitting a half century in successive seasons.  Phenomenal.  Throw in the England element, and it becomes even more extraordinary.

 Growing up in an area of Tipton christened, ‘the Lost City’, Bull used to kick a ball against a wall opposite his house and dream he was playing for England.  Dreams can come true.

 Signed by West Bromwich Albion after impressing with Tipton Town, Wolves swooped in late 1986, and the rest is history. Glorious history.

 His spectacular goalscoring exploits as the Wolves revival clicked into gear attracted the attention of England Under-21 boss Dave Sexton, who gave Bull his debut as an over-age player, away in Albania, barely 15 months before the 1990 World Cup.

 The return against Albania at Portman Road six weeks later, watched by hundreds of Wolves fans, saw Bull notch his first international goal, and ‘England B’ recognition, alongside strike partner Andy Mutch, soon followed.

 Again, he found the net – as the challenges grew so too did Bull’s impact – famously crowned as he came off the bench to score on his senior debut away against Scotland at Hampden Park, only weeks after still plying his trade in the Third Division.

 “I couldn’t believe it,” he says of that moment, again watched by hundreds of Wolves fans who had journeyed north of the border to share his success.

 “It was a brilliant first touch off my shoulder – Ron Saunders would have enjoyed it – and then I smashed the ball home and sank to my knees.”

 So far so good, but it was poised to get even better.

 Three appearances later, the following April, a midweek friendly against Czechoslovakia offered the opportunity for Bull, and a certain Paul Gascoigne, to try and gatecrash the party in terms of ‘Italia 90’ selection.

 Both delivered the goods, and this time thousands of Wolves fans were able to savour the clinical brace which pushed their hero a good few places further forward in the queue for the plane.

 "Meeting up with the England squad was always such a brilliant experience, and I always felt comfortable joining up,” Bull recalls.

 “At first, I might have felt like a little fish in a big pond but players like Bryan Robson always made me feel really welcome.

 “Lineker, Beardsley, Gascoigne, Waddle – all these incredible players – and then Steve Bull, from Tipton Town, coming out of the Third Division.

 “Once I took part in a few training sessions, and matches, I thought I could reach the standard and play alongside the rest of the squad.

 “On the night of that Czechoslovakia game, me and Gazza had no idea if we were going to make the squad for the World Cup, but that was the game which put us in a really good position.

 “Gazza two great passes – Bully, a chest and shot and a header – two goals, and our places were more or less cemented.

 “Graham Turner always told me to just go out and do my best for England and do exactly what I did for Wolves.

 “There were those that still said my first touch wasn’t great, but anyone who played on the shocking pitches in the Third and Fourth divisions, if they had a decent first touch, I would shake their hand!