Wolves 1-1 Coventry City
By Tom Bason
October 19 2013
Wolves led a lead slip late in the game as Coventry claimed a point at Molineux. Nearly 23,000 watched as substitute Aaron Phillips 86th minute equaliser cancelled out Leigh Griffiths opener.
- With virtually a full squad to choose from, the eleven who started today appear to be Kenny Jackett's first choice at the moment. I've mentioned a couple of times that I felt sorry for Richard Stearman being left out at the expense of Scott Golbourne, but Stearman wasted the chance he had against Notts County to really stake a claim for a first team berth. A more convincing and dominant performance in that match may just have been enough to keep his place, but as it was Sam Ricketts moved back into centre back, with Golbourne shifting back to his favoured left-back slot. Elsewhere in the team, Bakary Sako returned after missing two games with #headsgone syndrome, wearing gloves that probably weren't necessary on a sunny autumn day.
- For once, a team arrived at Molineux and didn't flood the midfield. With both teams playing 4-4-2, there was always the chance that neither team would be able to stamp their authority in the middle, and so it proved. I did hope that the quality that Kevin McDonald and Jack Price have on the ball and in possession would allow us to take the upper hand, but Coventry's pairing are equally comfortable. They were further aided by Franck Moussa's tendency to drift inside from the left flank at times making an extra man in there.
- Not a lot happened in the first half. Wolves started very well in the opening ten minutes, but Coventry fought back into it and were probably the better team for much of the first half. Generally though, the two sides cancelled each other out with both goalkeepers untroubled. Wolves had two good chances, firstly Leigh Griffiths blasted high and wide after a lovely move; Danny Batth's long diagonal ball to Sako was excellent (and his diagonal passes seem to be far more effective than his clips to the right hand channel in the vague direction of no-one), but Sako's first time flick to Doyle was sublime, a real indicator of his class. Doyle was held up, but did well to pick out James Henry in the box, who slipped in Griffiths but his effort from the edge of the six yard box was disappointingly wayward. Doyle then glanced a Henry cross wide of the far post when he should have done better. The only other chance came from a counter attack, which say Sako delay the pass just long enough for Griffiths to drift offside. Griffiths will probably be criticised for being offside when he could look across the line, but this was the fault of Sako for not playing a reasonably simple ball a lot sooner.
- Again, Wolves started the second half quite well - it was surely a conscious plan to attack at the start of both halves, but again the game settled into something of a rhythm with both sides having spells of possession in the middle of the park, but neither side able to really create anything. Wolves had been forced into a first half change, as Price sustained an eye injury (he played for at least ten minutes with this problem, at first I thought he’d lost a contact lense, but it was obviously bad enough to need to be taken off). He was having a poor first half, not really able to get into the game, and I’d have thought he would have been a prime candidate to be taken off anyway. I’d have brought on David Edwards, but it was David Davis who came on. Davis did well in midfield, winning four or five really good tackles, and proving that he can add something a little bit different to Price and McDonald who are not at their best when out of possession. Davis was guilty of his usual brain fade, almost slipping Callum Wilson in on goal, forcing Batth into a good tackle. If Davis is going to force his way into the first team, and given the inexperience of Price and Lee Evans he will get a chance eventually, he does need to work on his concentration when we have the ball. I don’t think it’s a lack of ability that causes the frustration of Wolves fans, it’s the casual carelessness.
- Wolves took the lead through Leigh Griffiths, although it was a goal from a set piece rather than a well worked move. The opportunity was actually quite similar to the one he wasted in the first half. The first chance, he had taken too long and tried to be too clever. But with this one, he seemed to react on instinct, finishing right footed into the corner. Sometimes I don’t think he’s quite as good a footballer as he thinks he is when he’s given time to think. Sometimes, when he’s warming up, his first time finishing reminds me of Robbie Fowler (one of my heroes), but then when he has a bit of time in a match, like today in the first half, he can be wasteful.
- But, again we didn’t close the game out. Coventry pressed for an equaliser, but didn’t really test Carl Ikeme. We gave the ball away too easily, but generally looked comfortable at the back. Coventry moved the three upfront, but it was the introduction of the attacking fullback Aaron Phillips that led to the equaliser. I need to see the goal again, but I suspect it was Sako who switched off. Saying that, it was a well taken goal, finishing well past Ikeme into the far post. At that point, I thought we were going to get a barnstorming finish, with both sides looking for the winning goal. But, Coventry were clearly happy with the point, and were able to close the game out, with only one half chance for substitute Björn Sigurðarson after the equaliser.
- This feels like two points dropped, but I am not too despondent tonight. I thought the overall performance was a massive improvement on recent home performances. It was without a doubt better than the Molineux games against Notts County, Sheffield United, Walsall, Swindon and Crawley, and I am far less worried tonight than I was after all of those games. Coventry are probably the best team we’ve played this season (if you added their deducted ten points back on they’d comfortably be in the playoffs), and on another day, we could easily have won. Coventry have scored more than anyone in the division bar Leyton Orient, but barely created anything, and their much vaunted strike pairing did very little. But, the ongoing form of Leyton Orient and Peterborough means that a win on Tuesday is a necessity. Fail to win, and potentially we are already seven points from the top two.
- Tomorrow morning, I am running the Birmingham half-marathon, my first ever race. I’ve already had more sponsorship from this forum than I ever expected (many many thanks to those who have donated), but if anyone else can spare a quid or two, I’d be most grateful. I’m raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support, and my JustGiving page is here: http://www.justgiving.com/Tom-Bason.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:10:24:17:05:50 by toomb.
I hope you enjoy your 'jog' tomorrow!! Good luck
One way of improving our middle would be to do the same - only I wouldn't just push a defender forward (sort of defeats the object or sort of cheats) I'd drop one and have a player with a good touch, looks up and the intelligence to lay of and receive the return ball. This would give the option of an extra up front lad whilst keeping two wide men.
I have the names in my head, but . . .
Who have we got now who could do that?
toomb's twitter
Could Lee Evans make it as the new Neil Emblen? Apart from him, the rest of potentials are too small or too attacking.