Wolves fans who never came home from 1986 World Cup star in new documentary
The friends from Stourbridge and Lye bought plane tickets to Mexico and never looked back
Last updated 9th Jun 2026
When a group of mates from the Black Country went on a 5,000 mile trip to the Mexico World Cup in 1986, none of them thought football would change the trajectory of their lives.
The men, who were all in their twenties at the time, fell in love with Mexico and decided to stay, leaving their lives in Stourbridge and Lye behind before settling in the US.
40 years later, the adventures of the Wolverhampton Wanders fans is the focus of a new documentary - Lost Down Mexico Way.
The stars of the documentary, who call themself 'The Disco Firm', are referred to by their nicknames - Adder (Gary Allen), Rabbithead (Garry Hardwicke), Batesy (Stuart Bates), Arnie (David Arnold), and their American friend, Texas Steve (Steve Dawson).
"I never in a million years thought I would be here," said Mr Allen, who now lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
"I've had a good life here, it's been very good to me.
"I've been very lucky and I've met some really, really nice people.
"Football started it all and football's going to end it all."
The group flew over to Houston, Texas, making their way down to Monterrey in Mexico.
They knew no Spanish and had little to their names, but all got jobs and started an adventure that ended up lasting four decades.
He continued: "I think we all thought - this is crazy, we have to give it a go.
"I don't think all of us had the idea that we would stay there, but as it progressed, we just thought this beats Stourbridge - and I love Stourbridge, I miss it all the time and all my mates.
"But, this was something else."
Mr Allen said their distinctive Black Country accents were popular over on the other side of the Atlantic, and described America as "a different kettle of fish" compare to Stourbridge.
With the tournament returning to North America this year, the group are planning to have a reunion and cheer on their beloved Three Lions once again.
The documentary, Mr Allen said, has been a nice walk down memory lane.
"We did this as our legacy - we're all in our sixties and we're not getting any younger," he said.
"We did this purely for our kids and our grandkids so they can look back and see how made their grandads were."