A total shambles as another chance is blown

Scored
By Scott Cooper
March 25 2006

WITH Preston North End unable to beat Plymouth at Home, with Derby County beating Crystal Palace and with QPR earning a point with Cardiff City, Wolves were handed a marvellous chance to claim 6th spot. In true fashion, they blew it!

We all know that away teams love to come and play at Molineux. Running out at one of the best grounds in the division inspires most clubs, but when the Wolves manager declares that it's a "good time" to be facing the opposition, their game is raised that little bit more.

To quote Glenn Hoddle's column in the Matchday Programme (page 7, paragraph 1) "We are in a rich vein of form at the moment - unbeaten in eight games - which makes it a good time to be facing Sheffield Wednesday".

Well what a paragraph of [ insert appropriate word here ] that was. Instead of Wolves continuing the rich vein of form which had seen them take four points from Cardiff and Reading, Glenn Hoddle's men buckled and went down without a whimper 3-1 at Molineux.

With results elsewhere going in favour of Wolves and with Sheffield Wednesday without a win in their previous ten games it was a game Wolves simply had to win, however the performance was nothing short of being a disgrace.

Denes Rosa was again missing through injury so Hoddle went with the same side which earned a point away at (the now promoted) Reading. Postma was in goal, the back four consisted of Gyepes, Lescott, Naylor and Edwards, Mark Davies, Paul Ince, Rohan Ricketts and Kenny Miller were in midfield and Thomasz Frankowski and Aliadiere lead the attack.

The first half was pretty much a non-event. Chances were few and far between with Wednesday shot stopper Scott Carson equal to anything the tame Wolves could throw at him. As the game petered towards Half Time however Sheffield Wednesday took a shock lead.

Deon Burton was allowed time to get down the right, his cross was played into the box and Marcus Tudgay beat the defence to power past Postma.

Wolves first real shot on target came seconds after, but Carson was able to parry Millers powerful header to safety.

With Edwards (late tackle) and Miller (decent) both on yellow cards boss Glenn Hoddle replaced them at the break with Maurice Ross and Carl Cort and it was the latter of the two substitutes who gave Wolves a goals reply early in the second half.

From Naylor's corner the former Newcastle man powerfully headed home to drag the scores level and at that point it looked as if Wolves would go on to win the game, but after some spectacular saves from Carson in the Wednesday goal the visitors were able to punish Wolves.

Slack defending from Wolves first let in Burton who was able to easily pick his spot and a mass exit from the 25,000 fans inside the ground followed Tudgay's second goal when he found a way past the injured Gyepes to curl the ball home past Postma with five minutes to go.

It was a poor performance, but with Preston and Cardiff unable to win it gives the Wolves fans a small crumb of comfort following yet another abysmal performance in what as so far been yet another season of mass underachievement.