Ex-Wolves player and legendary scout to be honoured in recognition of feats with ground-breaking nursery club Wath Wanderers

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers player Mark Crook ran the acclaimed Wath Wanderers junior side at Brampton from 1938 until 1970, with the club formed with the aim of scouting the region for players, developing them and then sending them onto Molineux.

The arrangement was brokered by Wolves’ legendary manager Stan Cullis who went onto describe Wath as a ‘football gold mine’.

It is believed that Wath was the first 'nursery club' of its kind in the game.

Wath fielded a team in the Northern Intermediate League against the likes of Leeds United, the Sheffield clubs and Hull City.

Ron Flowers and Roy Swinbourne, both in the Wolves’ team that famously beat Ferenc Puskas’ Honved outfit, had their moves to the the Black Country brokered by Crook.

The duo now proudly sit in Wolves’ Hall of Fame with Flowers part of the England World Cup winning squad of 1966.

Crook’s achievements have largely gone unnoticed until football historian Chris Brook took on the challenge.

A plaque celebrating Crook’s achievements will be placed at Cortonwood Miners’ Welfare, where Crook’s teams played, on May 30 at 2pm.

Brook said: "The story of Mark Crook and the Wath Wanderers is one of English football’s great untold stories.

"Ron Flowers and Roy Swinbourne’s names are cemented in Wolves’ history, but they would have never gone to Wolves without Crook’s say-so.

"He also discovered the likes of FA Cup winner Alan Sunderland, Spurs’ legend Cyril Knowles, Steve Daley, who went for a British transfer fee record and many, many more.

"Current research shows that he played a part in the careers of more than 80 professional footballers.

"So many footballers owe so much to Mark and this blue plaque is a fitting and overdue tribute to him."

Crook was born in Morley but raised in Wath-upon-Dearne where he later ran a fish and chip shop. He died in 1977.

He still has family living in the Wath area with his granddaughter Jane Whitlam having given her backing to the campaign.

A book on Wath Wanderers will be released later in the year.

It will detail Crook's achievements and will feature interviews with several of the players whose careers he helped along the way.

Brook is co-authoring the book, entitled ‘Feeding The Wolves: The story of Mark Crook and Wath Wanderers’, alongside journalists Ashley Ball and Steve Penny.

Ball, who hails from Wath, said: "It’s an honour to be entrusted with ensuring the story of Mark and Wath Wanderers is not lost to the sands of time.”

For further information, contact Chris Brook a [email protected]