Speaking on the latest installment of the Victory and Vices podcast, former Wolves midfielder Matt Jarvis revealed Steven Fletcher is the striker he enjoyed the best chemistry with.
The pair enjoyed two successful seasons together at Molineux between 2010 and 2012, scoring a combined 34 league goals and providing a joint total of 19 Premier League assists.
Jarvis’ good form earned him his only England cap in March 2011 during Fabio Capello’s time in charge of the Three Lions, while Fletcher got a big-money move to Sunderland following Wolves’ relegation after the 2011/12 campaign.
However, despite Jarvis going on to play for big clubs such as West Ham United and Norwich City after his spell with the Midlands outfit, it’s his time with Fletcher that he has the fondest memories of.
He said: (33:06) “I always remember Fletch at Wolves. Me and Fletch had a fantastic chemistry, just seemed to work.
“And it was just brilliant. He was so good in the air, and the thing was, we knew exactly where if I got the ball if I was going down the line, he knew where I was going to cross it. If I cut inside of my right foot, he knew where I was going to cross it.
“So, it was subliminal, you know, if I was cutting in my right foot, he knew to make that run across and it just worked. And sometimes it clicks sometimes it doesn’t, but he was definitely one that we had a great understanding.”
TIF Thoughts on Fletcher and Jarvis…
The top-level of football has started to move away from crossing the ball for a sizeable target man in the modern era, but Jarvis and Fletcher were a perfect example of how effective that method can be.
Jarvis and Fletcher’s attacking prowess was ultimately not enough to stop Wolves from finishing bottom of the Premier League table in 2011/12, but that arguably makes their impressive goals and assists tallies even more impressive, given that they were recorded in a struggling side.
Despite Fletcher going on to play for the likes of Marseille, Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday, former Scotland international struggled to replicate his form after he departed Wolves, so perhaps the 34-year-old feels the same way about Jarvis.