Bert Williams Goalkeeper Club

Back Row : Phil Parkes, Wayne Hennessey, Fred Davies

Front Row : Gordon Banks, Bert Williams, Peter Bonetti

I was invited recently to a special party at Molineux to celebrate the 90th birthday of my – and doubtless many others – boyhood idol, the Wolves & England goalkeeper Bert Williams MBE.

I was commissioned to paint an assembled group including England World Cup favourites Gordon Banks and Peter Bonetti. I titled the work ’The Bert Williams Goalkeeper Club’ but rather than paint them wearing their lounge suits, thought it more intriguing to portray these legends in the playing strip of their day … from Bert’s heavy woolly England jersey of 1950 and Gordon’s famous 1970 blue sweater up to Wayne’s sponsor-bearing club shirt of today – a 60yrs era of fashion and goalkeeper chic.