The day Oxbarn FC were mistaken for Wolverhampton Wanderers

May 24 2009

FOR Oxbarn FC, languishing in division seven of Wolverhampton Sunday League, it was a far cry from the mud and nettles of their Wenlock Avenue park pitch.

Because during a German soccer tour in 1973 the pub team unwittingly found themselves facing Bundesleague giants SVW Mainz who in turn thought they were playing the mighty Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Oxbarn players thought they were playing a lower-league friendly.

But they realised something was amiss when they arrived at a packed-out stadium with a full marching band heralding their arrival on to the pitch.

And the German professionals only began to suspect the credentials of their amateur opponents when they went 10-0 up by half-time, before eventually cruising to a 21-0 victory.

The cock-up can be traced back to the Mayor of Mainz who received a hopeful letter from a team in Wolverhampton asking about the possibility of a lower-league friendly.