Football Heroes stamps snub to Wolves legend Billy Wright

Ironbridge-born Wright, who was the first person to reach 100 caps for England, was also left off the FA's commemorative crest revealed last month to celebrate 150 years of the game.

The Royal Mail's stamps, called Football Heroes, features 11 players from England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

World Cup winners Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton and Gordon Banks all feature, but there is no room for Wright, who played 105 times for England and captained them at three World Cups.

But Royal Mail has found room for John Barnes and Jimmy Greaves, who many fans felt never excelled for the England team.

Carl Jones, who lives near Newport, has been a season ticket holder at Wolves for more than 20 years.

He said: "This latest snub is as baffling as it is disgraceful. Billy Wright was a wonderful player and perfect role model who captained his country 90 times – still a world record.

"He played 70 consecutive games for the national team – still a world record. And he led England in three World Cup campaigns – still a world record.

"Not only was he the first England player to earn 100 caps, he was never booked or sent off in his entire career. Contrast this with Kevin Keegan who walked out on the manager's job and famously got sent-off at Wembley after a fight on pitch, and John Barnes whose England career was basically built around just one famous moment, when he scored a wonder goal against Brazil.

"Billy Wright doesn't just deserve his place on the Royal Mail's commemorative stamps, he should be given a posthumous knighthood."

Wright was left out of the 32 places on the FA's commemorative crest, while there was space for pictures of Wayne Rooney scoring a goal against Croatia and England losing to Brazil in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

England legends Sir Tom Finney and Sir Stanley Matthews were also left out of the final 11.

The stamps were illustrated by artist Andrew Kinsman.