Wolves win at home, and with a little style

For the first time since December 4th 2011 Wolves won at Molineux tonight and did so playing some entertaining football that sent their fans home feeling much more positive about what might lie ahead. The win gets a massive monkey off Wolves back with only one previous win in 2012 and none at home, and there were smiles on faces at last as the supporters left the ground. Solbakken made two changes to the team beaten at Leeds on Saturday with Berra recalled to replace Stearman and Peszko getting his first start at the expense of Forde;

Ikeme
Zubar, Johnson, Berra, Ward
Peazko, Henry, Doumbia, Jarvis
Ebanks Blake, Doyle

It took Wolves just seven minutes to get the ball rollling towards a home success and it was a fine goal too with Stephen Ward playing a one-two with Ebanks Blake before driving home from ten yards. The goal lifted everyone in the crowd but there was still some nervousness about Wolves play and former striker Craig Davies was not far wide with a shot from outside the area, and the visitors had a couple of dangerous corners to show they were still in the game.

Wolves were keeping good possession and there was some good build up play but not a great deal of penetration from Wolves for the rest of the half. Ward was doing well overlapping on the left and Doumbia impressing in the middle but a shot from Doyle saved by the keeper was a rare attempt on target as Wolves looked by far the better team without looking like putting the game to bed.

The second half started in a similar vein with Wolves on top and after 15 minutes they finally got the second goal which brought a mixture of relief and celebration to all concerned with Wolves. Karl Hanry made a break on the right and did well to pick out Doyle from a tight position on the wing. When the ball was prodded through to Ebanks Blake there was certainly a hint of offside but the striker tucked the ball into the net and despite protests from the visitors the goal stood.

Finally there was a relaxed mood both on the pitch and in the stands as Wolves moved towards three valuable points. Jarvis was a handful on the left with Ward supporting him well, Doumbia produced some storming runs and it had to be encouraging for the season ahead that Wolves looked so superior to their opponents. Edwards replaced Henry and Sigurdarsen replaced SEB to bring on some fresh legs and the lead was stretched to three with still 20 minutes to play. A fine run and cross by Peszko picked out Edwards who headed in from close range.

There was a surprise for Wolves with ten minutes left when Etuhu broke on the right and picked out Cywka who scored from 8 yards. And there were a couple of anxious moments when the visitors looked for a second that would have put the cat amongst the pigeons. But Wolves saw out the game comfortably in the end with Sigurdarsen heading against the bar late on and then Doyle just wide with a shot from a tight angle.

Ikeme – had a quiet evening but did everything comfortably
Zubar – some characteristic overlapping runs but a quiet game defensively
Johnson – as secure a game as he has had for Wolves and an encouraging performance
Berra – the defence looked more solid with him there
Ward – a man of the match contender with some excelllent play going forward and decent defending
Peszko – not in the game much in the first half but great cross for the third goal
Henry – won some good tackles and played a big part in the crucial 2nd goal, will surely be confirmed as captain for the season soon
Doumbia – a real find and the other man of the match contender. Good control, passing and makes powerful runs forward
Jarvis – if he wants away it isn’t showing in his performances, a constant threat to the Tykes
Doyle – typically hard working performance and it would be good to see him get a confidence boosting goal
SEB – took his goal well and played his part in the link up play
Edwards – useful player to bring on late with his energy and in the right place for a good third goal
Sigurdarsen – some good touches and came close to scoring late on, promising
Davies – came on late for Doumbia who got a standing ovation when he went off

So it all feels a lot better to be a Wolves supporter this evening. Far to early to say how this season is going to go and lots could happen between now and the end of the transfer window. But the gap in quality between Wolves and Barnsley was there for all to see and there was enough there tonight to suggest Wolves can be challenging at the right end of the table. And the 24,000 plus that were there tonight will be looking forward to the next home game instead of dreading it, and there are only a few days to wait for Derby to visit on Saturday.

Category: Team News