1990-1992 home shirt, by Scoreline/Score Draw/Bukta.

In this section:

The original Scoreline version

The 1990 Bukta version

Player-issued match-spec versions

The 2020 Score Draw retro/repro shirt

Close-up detail photos of Scoreline 1990-1992 home Wolves shirt (requested)

Scoreline version

First up – the original Scoreline version. A very rare shirt that you don’t often see:

…it saw Wolves continue to use Scoreline as their official kit supplier (as they had the previous few seasons)… and then Scoreline went bust.

The shirt had an unusual checked design and lasted all of two months before Bukta were invited to come in and replace Scoreline. The design was broadly the same although instead of a woven checked pattern…

Bukta version

…it boasted tessellating Wolves heads. Cue many people being asked to take back their original Scoreline versions back to the club shop (then a glorified portaloo) to have it swapped over for a Bukta version which is why the former is now very rare to find.

Player-issued match-spec versions

A contributor to the site has very kindly supplied some fantastic images which will be uploaded here!

The 2020 Score Draw retro/repro shirt

You know I hate being proven wrong. But I have been. Let’s look at a new replica of the home shirt made by Score Draw under license from Bukta and let’s get this out the way – I never used to be particularly fussed about replica or retro shirts. There – I said it. I just prefer the authenticity of the original shirts and to be honest with the ‘recreations’ have for me, suffered  with the lack of manufacturer due to copyright issues or short-cuts on the designe to keep the costs down. Fine to go to the gym or for a run in but not take pride of place within a collection.

Things may have changed. Wolves recently announced a retro version of an iconic shirt from Wolves’s past. Let’s see how faithful it is and how it compares with:

• A player issued shirt of the same period
• A replica shirt from the same period

Firstly, the colour is ever so slightly different – a slightly more bronze tone than the replica on the left and the match version on the right. The text is slightly different on the badge but not so you would notice.

What cannot be denied is to the attention to detail on the shadow stitching/embroidered Wolves badge. I am told they gained access to the original pattern and machinery and it shows. The 40mm tessellating Wolves badges are woven into the fabric and are spot-on sizewise, the only slight variations being within the eyes and the narrowist points of the top and bottom of each badge (I don’t think people will call you out on that).

You actually need to get up to this level of detail to see a difference from the outside, leaving aside the different labels and means of construction (I can show these if there is really call for it)! Which makes it rather bizarre that they went to this effort to ruin it by…

…sticking a blue *ahem* waterloo blue detail on the reverse side of the collar instead of the original black. Blue on a home Wolves shirt – sacrilege for many that is.

Leaving that aside, a big selling point on this shirt is the licensing of the original Bukta brand name. These shirts always had small Bukta logo for replica shirts in the shops and larger ones for the player issued one. Or to be more precise (yes I am this sad):

…52mm for original replica and 90mm for the match issued. The new ones curiously sit in-between at 78mm as shown. Again – not noticeable.

Let’s cut to the chase – this is the best repro or replica shirt that I have seen and upon receipt I immediately purchased the away version (I will feature this on a future blog if there is interest). These are currently sold out but I am told will be re-stocked and when that happens would unequivocally recommend you purchase one.

Do you have one? Do you want one? Let us know below…

(Requested) additional close ups of 1990 Scoreline shirt

Update – I was asked for detail photos on the original Scoreline version of this shirt… so here they are.

I have to be honest again, considering this is a £500+ collectors item nowadays it is not great quality. You can tell that Scoreline were compromising on quality compared to the previous 1989-1990 Wolves shirt and instead of felt printed/glued badges the entire thing is silk screened, which I have never seen on a replica shirt since. Even the badge:

The text is haphazard and poorly aligned with no space between ‘Wolverhampton’ and ‘Wanderers’. The eyes aren’t quite right either.

The Scoreline logo is also silk screen printed this time (unlike previous years when it was embossed).

This is the first time the Good Year logo adorned a Wolves shirt. Too bad it doesn’t look great. Bukta would fix that a few months later. Compare and contrast the quality of the two logos if you will:

Finally – the Scoreline version doesn’t have the pop down collar option that the Bukta one has. You know in 30 odd years I’ve never notices that until now: