‘He would have been so proud’ – Siblings of World Cup-winning Wolves legend attend dressing room honour in his memory
John Flowers and his sister Jean, both younger siblings of Wolves legend Ron, were back in South Yorkshire for the unveiling at Cortonwood Miners’ Welfare.
John, also a professional through Crook’s system, made the journey over from The Potteries for the event.
The ex-Stoke and Doncaster Rovers player said: “The dressing rooms have changed since I was here last!
“Ron would have thought it was wonderful to have a dressing room named after him.”
Jean added: “He would have been so proud and in his element.
“It is an honour for us to be here to see it and do this for his memory.
“Nobody has forgotten him and it’s a proud day for the Flowers family.”
Ron was identified by Wolves’ Yorkshire-based talent spotter Mark Crook and after a positional tweak and some sage advice was sent to Molineux just a few years after fellow hall-of-famer Roy Swinbourne.
The rest is history as Ron solidified his and Mark’s reputation as a staple of Wolves’ legendary team in the 1950s and 60s.
Mark discovered 39 players who turned out for Wolves’ first team through his pioneering nursery club and a whopping 114 players in total.
Other starlets included Peter Knowles, Steve Daley, Alan Sunderland and Gerry Taylor.
A blue plaque was added to his former club’s base earlier this year and the naming of dressing rooms in his honour was the second part of the tribute.
A hat-trick of recognition will come later in the year with a dedicated book, Feeding The Wolves, by Barnsley Chronicle journalist Ashley Ball.
Ashley said: “When it came to naming the dressing rooms, they were both obvious choices.
“Ron’s achievements in the game speak for themselves.
“He was the golden boy at Wolves, one of their finest ever players and the man Crook’s reputation was built on.
“It was amazing to welcome the Flowers family back to where it all began.”
The away dressing room at Brampton was renamed after Bob Hatton who had a successful career at a host of clubs after initially signing for Wolves.
Of all Mark’s graduates he is the one who made the most appearances with more than 700 and 250 goals.
Brampton United now play on the same pitches that Mark’s team did and they are now wearing gold and black in homage to the rich history of their surroundings.
Money raised from the book is destined to be shared between them and the Wolves Foundation.
Another South Yorkshireman with Wolves links, Mick McCarthy, has penned the book’s foreword.
The book is available to pre-order at the early bird price of just £12 from Ron Flowers’ Shop in Wolverhampton and will be out in December.
Online orders can be made through visiting: dondearneschoolfootball.wordpress.com/mark-crooks-wath-wolves