Some players in English football folklore seem to catch the imagination of fans and become heroes despite the humble beginnings of their careers.
One of those players is former Wolves and England forward Steve Bull, who was prolific throughout his career.
From factories to football
Bull excelled in school football and also played youth football for Red Lion and Newey Goodman. However, he didn’t get picked up by a professional club. Instead, he joined non-league Tipton Town in 1981.
While at Tipton Town, the forward also had various part-time factory jobs while he was training with the club’s various youth teams. He didn’t become a part of the Tipton Town first team until the 1984-1985 season.
When he became part of Tipton’s first team, he was an instant hit. The forward scored 17 goals in 20 games, which led to interest from several clubs higher up the English football pyramid.
Bull had a stroke of fortune, as his manager at Tipton Town, Sid Day, was also a scout for one of his local clubs, West Bromwich Albion. Day recommended the young forward to the Baggies.
At 19, the forward initially trained with West Brom’s youth teams before being offered a pro deal and being moved into the Baggies first-team squad.
Bull made his West Brom debut in October 1985, coming on as a substitute against Crystal Palace in a Full Members Cup clash.
He played against QPR and Sheffield Wednesday but only made one appearance in the English top flight for the Baggies. In fact, it was his only ever appearance in the English top-flight of his career.
In all, Bull made just nine appearances for West Brom, scoring three goals in the process. He struggled to get into the Baggies first-team because of the presence of forward pair Imre Varadi and Garth Crooks, who were highly-regarded.
A move that defined his career

In November 1986, Bull made the move that defined his career. He moved to West Brom’s midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers alongside Andy Thompson for a fee of £65,000.
When Bull made the move, Wolves were languishing in the fourth tier of the English game, and reportedly he wasn’t sold on the move. However, he wanted to play regular first-team football.
He made a solid start to his Wolves career, scoring 19 goals in his first season in 37 appearances.
After a few seasons, in the fourth tier of the English game, Bull’s goals helped the Midlands team win back-to-back victories in seasons 1987/88 and 1988/89.
The 1988/89 season was particularly notable for Bull, as he scored an incredible 50 goals in all competitions to inspire the team’s promotion.
However, it wasn’t the most prolific season of his career, as he had already scored 52 goals in the 1987/88 campaign, but that was while playing in the fourth tier.
In 1989, Bull’s scoring prowess was recognised by a call-up to the England squad. He was the first post-war player plying his trade in the English third tier to be selected for the national team.
He made his Three Lions debut in May 1989 against Scotland as a substitute for John Fashanu, making a dream start by firing home his first goal for the national team.
Bull went on to make 13 appearances for England’s national team, scoring four times, despite never appearing in the English top flight during his 13-year career at Wolves.
Those international appearances included playing at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
However, he was an unused substitute as England suffered a heart-breaking penalty kick loss against West Germany in the semi-final in Turin.
Bull believes he could have had an impact on the game if he came off the bench. However, English boss Bobby Robson was reluctant to replace star striker Gary Lineker.
The prolific forward’s chance of making more appearances for the Three Lions was limited due to the fact that he faced competition from the likes of Lineker and Alan Shearer, among others, during his career.
More goals loyalty to Wolves
Bull continued to score goals for Wolves, scoring at least 15 goals for ten straight seasons with the Midlands outfit.
Unfortunately for the forward, despite his scoring prowess, 306 goals scored in 561 appearances, Wolves never won promotion to the English top flight during his career with the club.
Despite reported interest from top-flight clubs, Bull remained fiercely loyal to Wolves. He finally left the Midlands club in 2000 to join fifth-tier Hereford United as player-coach, making just six appearances and scoring two goals.
In February 2008, Bull entered management, joining fifth-tier Stafford Rangers, who were in the relegation zone. He was unable to prevent Rangers from slipping into the sixth tier and left the club in December 2008.
Bull will always be a Wolves legend

Despite making just one top-flight appearance in his playing career, Steve Bull will go down as a Wolves legend.
Bull has stated that he was always happy at the Midlands club and never felt the need to leave in order to further his career ambitions.
In 2018, the forward was given the position of Freeman of the City of Wolverhampton for his services to the football club. The decision shows how well-respected Bull is within the city where he thrived.
Steve Bull, like many players who have started their career in non-league, is an excellent example of what players can achieve despite not being picked up by a professional club.