Dave Edwards made himself a Wolves hero by slamming the winning goal past his old mate Joe Hart as millionaires Manchester City came a cropper at Molineux – and smiled: “You couldn’t write it, could you!”
Shrewsbury’s two exports to the Premier League remain the best of friends having developed a close bond since emerging from the youth team ranks at the Gay Meadow.
Hart even used to rent Edwards’ spare room when the Wales international midfielder took his first steps on the property ladder by buying a house in Sutton Farm.
How ironic, then, that one of the greatest moments of Edwards’ career should come at Hart’s expense, with the England keeper on the receiving end as the former Mary Webb School pupil fired Wolves to a 2-1 Premier League victory.
“I had a chat with Joe afterwards and we swapped shirts,” Edwards told the Chronicle.
“It was nice to have a little catch up and I suppose if anyone was going to score the winner past him, he probably would have wanted it to be me.
“I saw him go one way early so it made my mind up where to put the ball.”
Bringing Hart’s goalkeeping jersey back to the Shrewsbury home he shares with girlfriend Emma and four-month-old son Jack is another notable addition to Edwards’ thriving collection of big name player shirts.
Just a week earlier, he swapped with Chelsea defender John Terry after playing for Wolves at Stamford Bridge.
“In 20 or 30 years time when you show your grandchildren, you will be able to look back with a great deal of pride,” said ex-Town favourite Edwards, 24, who is now looking forward to Saturday’s trip to Manchester United before welcoming Arsenal to Molineux next Wednesday.
“I’ve never played at Old Trafford before so hopefully I can make the starting XI this time,” he said.
“I was on the bench when we went there in the Carling Cup last week. I’m looking forward to it and we think we’ve got a chance of going there and causing an upset.”
Edwards is delighted to be holding down a regular place in the Wolves side under Mick McCarthy, having had to be patient to overcome the ankle ligament damage which stopped him in his tracks midway through last season.
“Hopefully I can kick on from here and get back to how I was playing before I got the injury,” he said.
“It’s nice that the manager has shown some faith in me and I feel I’m improving with every performance.”
Edwards, relishing life as a young dad, added being happy off the field and still being able to live in his home town was also a big bonus.
“To still be living in Shrewsbury is one of the nice things,” he stressed.
“Having your family and friends around you does make a difference.”
He continues to keep close tabs on former club Town’s fortunes, but a busy schedule as an international footballer makes it hard to squeeze in visits to the Greenhous Meadow.
By Stuart Dunn