Footballers who have played league football for both PNE and Wolves
A-J
699) Mike Bennett
PNE 86 apps; 1 goal
Wolves 6 apps; 0 goals
PNE debut 06/09/1986 v Lincoln (A) Drawn 1-1
749) George Berry
PNE 4 apps; 0 goals
Wolves 124 apps; 4 goals
PNE debut 17/08/1991 v Peterborough (A) Lost 0-1
823) Paul Birch
PNE 11 apps; 2 goals
Wolves 142 apps; 15 goals
PNE debut 09/03/1996 v Gliilngham (A) Drawn 1-1
488) Willie Forbes
PNE 191 apps; 17 goals
Wolves 71 apps; 23 goals
PNE debut 31/12/1949 v Southampton (H) Lost 0-3
251) Billy Halligan
PNE 16 apps; 2 goals
Wolves 67 apps; 34 goals
PNE debut 30/08/1919 v Blackburn (A) Lost 0-4
370) John Hampton
PNE 37 apps; 0 goals
Wolves 49 apps; 0 goals
PNE debut 30/08/30 v Southampton (H) Won 5-0
569) Graham Hawkins
PNE 245 apps; 3 goals
Wolves 34 apps; 0 goals
PNE debut 20/01/1968 v Q.P.R. (A) Lost 0-2
417) Arthur Hetherington
PNE 15 apps; 3 goals
Wolves 94 apps; 24 goals
PNE debut 12/01/1935 v Barnsley (H) Drawn 0-0
929) Jemal Johnson
PNE 3 apps; 1 goal
Wolves 20 apps; 3 goals
PNE debut 29/10/2005 v Leicester (H) Drawn 0-0
Player Profile Willie Forbes
William (Willie) Forbes was born in Glasgow on 25 May 1922. After starting his career in Scotland with Dunfermline Athletic, Forbes moved south just after the resumption of football after the end of the Second World War when he was signed by Ted Vizard at Wolves in September 1946. Wolves scored 98 league goals during the season with Forbes scoring 8 of them in 27 appearances. The leading scorer was Dennis Wescott with 38 league goals which is still a record for Wolves in a league season today. Forbes's first goals for the club were a brace in a 2-2 draw at Preston on 23 January 1946. Forbes also scored 2 in a 6-4 win against Chelsea on 26 April 1947. Wolves finished third in the 1946/47 season, one point behind Liverpool, missing the chance of the title when they lost 2-1 to Liverpool in Stan Cullis last game.
Stan Cullis replaced Vizard as Wolves finished fifth in the 1947/48 season. Forbes scored a further 8 goals from 20 appearances scoring a brace against Grimsby in a 4-0 win on 3 September 1947 and in a 3-1 win against Portsmouth on 15 November 1947. The following week he scored the first goal in a 3-2 win at PNE. Wolves also won the FA Cup when they beat Leicester 3-1.
Forbes only scored twice in 16 appearances in the 1948/49 season, both of these goals in a 7-1 victory against Huddersfield . The following season Forbes again scored twice as Wolves beat Huddersfied again incredibly by the same score of 7-1. His last league goal for Wolves was in a 3-1 defeat at Sunderland on 19 November 1949 as he scored 5 goals in 8 appearances.
After 23 goals in 71 appearances Forbes was signed in December 1949 by Will Scott at Second Division Preston for a fee of £18,000. He made his debut on New Years Eve in a 3-0 home defeat against Southampton and only missed one match for the remainder of the season as PNE finished sixth.
Forbes was an ever present for the 1950/51 as Preston won the Second Division Title. Forbes scored in consecutive matches in a 3-2 win at Sheffield United on 17 March 1951 and a 3-0 home victory against Blackburn a week later.
With Tommy Docherty and Joe Marston, Forbes formed the famous half-back line at Preston. He played in the first 29 matches of the season and scored three times in his first nine matches of the season.
Forbes missed the first 12 matches of the 1952/53 season and only played 17 in total as Preston was beaten by Arsenal for the First Division title on goal difference.
The following season saw Forbes win an FA Cup runners-up medal as PNE lost to West Brom 3-2 at Wembley. His only goal of the season in 19 appearances came in April 1954 in a 2-1 home win against Tottenham.
Forbes only missed 4 matches in the 1954/55 season and scored in the 3-3 draw against Sunderland in the FA Cup Fourth Round. His last season for Preston was in 1955/56 and made his 200 th League and Cup appearance for PNE in a 5-0 defeat at Newcastle on 24 December. Forbes will be remembered as a reliable, strong-tackling, hard working player who was dubbed as 'one of the most inspirational players ever' by PNE Veterans. But his fiery play led him to get suspended by the FA due to a feud with Alec Venters of Blackburn in a league match. In total Forbes made 211 appearances for Preston of which 191 was in the league and scored 7 league and 1 FA Cup goal.
In July 1956, Forbes joined Carlisle and in two seasons made 26 appearances for the Third Division North side. After his league career finished Forbes became player-manager of Fleetwood Town.
Forbes lived in Bamber Bridge and died in February 1999. Following his death, members of the club's Past Players Association were bitterly disappointed that the death of defender was not remembered with a minutes silence at Deepdale.