STEVE Gordos remembers a time when a trip to Old Trafford wasn’t quite so daunting.

Gordos, a lifelong fan, historian and author, knows more than most the pain of 31 years of hurt but it wasn’t always that way.

“Believe it or not, when I was a lad, Old Trafford was often a happy hunting ground for Wolves,” he says.

“In fact, starting in 1952–3 there was a period when Wolves won there six times in ten league visits. United had won the title in 1951–2 and were still fielding most of the old guard when Wolves won 3–0 early in 1953 – players like Johnny Carey, Henry Cockburn, Stan Pearson and Jack Rowley. I remember Jimmy Mullen, not known as a prolific goalscorer, hit two that day.”

A seven-goal thriller from October 1955 also sticks in Gordos’ memory as Wolves conceded twice in the final five minutes.

“What I did not learn until many years later was that Wilf McGuinness made his debut at left-half against Peter Broadbent that day and Wilf, now a great after-dinner speaker, tells a wonderful story,’’ he continued.

‘‘He explains how Matt Busby’s assistant Jimmy Murphy got him wound up before the game.

He had asked McGuinness if he knew who he was marking and he said, yes, it was Peter Broadbent, a real football gentleman. Murphy quickly put him straight by saying Broadbent would be trying to make him look useless and if he did that then it might end his United career.