Championship season 2005-6

53

1.5

7

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37	Saturday	4th March	15:00		QPR	0	0	Wolves	1	54	1.5	8
31	Tuesday	7th March	19:45		Wolves	0	0	Stoke City	1	55	1.5	7
38	Saturday	11th March	15:00		Wolves	2	0	Cardiff City	3	58	1.5	6>7
39	Saturday	18th March	15:00		Reading	1	1	Wolves	1	59	1.5	7
40	Saturday	25th March	15:00		Wolves	1	3	Sheffield Weds	0	59	1.5	7

The Stoke match was rearranged from 31st January because of the FA Cup 4th Round match

Next: April 1st - Away to Plymouth Argyle kick off 3:00pm (Leon not allowed to play in this) here

Sat March 25th WW 1 (Cort 50) Sheffield Weds 3 (Tudgay 2, Burton)

A hattrick for Leon Clarke on loan to Plymouth at Preston today would have done us a power of good.  However in the end we slipped one point further back on a bad day for all the challengers, but going down 3-1 at home, and picking up a serious injury to Gabor is really bad news.  Leon, however, enjoyed his debut and revealed that Glenn was deciding between him and Vio going out on loan. http://www.pafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/LatestNewsDetail/0,,10364~807392,00.html .

Gabor Gyepes picked up an injury this match, which anyway wasn’t going well from him, as we conceded the third goal. And of course loanee from Man City, Mikkel Bischoff, rejected by Wolves 15 months ago in spite of impressive appearances, had a hand in making one of the goals and defending against our other chances. Plymouth packed the midfield and Wolves changing tactics confused the players too much as they tried to break the Pilgrims down.

Here’s how Ivo Tennant saw it http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2767-2104117,00.html

Wolves 1 Sheff Wed 3: Tudgay double dents Wolves playoff hopes
Ivo Tennant at Molineux
The Sunday Times March 26, 2006
FOR Sheffield Wednesday, a rare and quite unanticipated victory away from Hillsborough, achieved, what was more, in spite of deploying just one forward. Two goals from Marcus Tudgay, and a couple of errors by Gabor Gyepes in the centre of the Wolves defence, did much to bring about a result that should ensure the visitors remain in the Championship. Wolves, unbeaten in their previous eight matches and much in need of a victory to manoeuvre themselves towards a position beyond the cusp of the playoff places, constantly found themselves stymied by a team with markedly different ambitions. Wednesday, at the other end of the Championship table, began with five players lined across midfield — and kept them there, especially after they had taken the lead. Wolves were largely left attempting to score from distance. Jeremie Aliadiere could not utilise the pace that Arsenal appreciate to the extent that his loan period at Molineux will end at the conclusion of the season. Lee Naylor had a left-footed free kick well held by Scott Carson diving to his right, and an even better save was to follow. Another ball swung in by Naylor was inadvertently deflected by Graham Coughlan, Wednesday’s captain, towards the left-hand side of Carson’s goal. The ensuing save emphasised reflexes of the highest order. Next, just before half time, Kenny Miller’s close-range header was parried beyond the penalty area. Again, high-class goalkeeping from another loan signing from a Premiership club. Wednesday’s policy of stifling Wolves in midfield having worked, at least for the time being, they then scored through a breakaway move. Classic tactics from a team in such a lowly position, and they came off. Deon Burton collected the ball on the left and crossed immediately into the penalty area, where Tudgay outjumped the central defence and struck his shot within Stefan Postma’s right-hand corner of the goal.

Substitutions, even at this relatively early stage, were evidently required. At half time, Wolves brought off Rob Edwards and the in-form Miller, both of whom had been booked, and, as if to indicate that size was all important on an afternoon when crosses came in from some way out, brought on Carl Cort. He had been on for just five minutes when Naylor, whose left foot all Wolves attacks seemed to be launched from, took a corner in front of the Jack Harris Stand. Cort was picked out perfectly and, what was more, had been left unmarked — a bizarre omission given that he is not that far short of Peter Crouch proportions. His header was as accurate as it was powerful. After that, a drive from Tomasz Frankowski was blocked by Carson at the near post and a further excellent low save repelled Paul Ince. There was, though, a shakiness about Wolves’ central-defensive partnership that was evident, spasmodically. After 67 minutes of the game, Gyepes was shrugged off the ball 10 yards from goal, losing his footing perhaps, and Burton gained position and had time in which to line up his shot.
Five minutes from time, he slipped again and Tudgay pulled his shot around Postma and into the net to finish any hopes Wolves may have had of a late leveller. Poor Gyepes was stretchered off shortly before the end.
Glenn Hoddle, the Wolves manager, revealed that Gyepes will be out for the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury before lamenting the end of what was an an excellent unbeaten run. “You cannot win matches the way we defended, but Scott Carson was exceptional,” he said. “Teams like Wednesday do get players behind the ball but they played well and it was not a good day for us. “My players were cross because they felt a blatant foul on Gyepes was not picked up by the referee and I’ll be putting my thoughts in my report. I felt at one stage he was a basketball referee.”

Wednesday manager Paul Sturrock was also quick to praise his goalkeeper. “I had been trying to get Scott Carson on loan from Liverpool for three months,” he said. “He is on a 24-hour recall and I am only hoping that they do not have any injury problems. Last week he complained he didn’t have a save to make, so he’ll be happy today. Good goalkeepers win you games. “What also delighted me was that we came with a plan to keep things tight and managed to carry that out. My team don’t always think about keeping shape for 90 minutes but they all showed the desire to do so. We have not been able to do that in the past.” Sturrock was delighted to see Tudgay score for the first time since his debut and felt Burton held the line magnificently. “He took his goal very well. He is a Premiership player. There were excellent performances and what we planned we took into the game,” he said.

STAR MAN: Scott Carson (Sheff Wed)

Player Ratings: Wolves: Postma 6, Edwards 6 (Ross h-t, 6), Gyepes 5, Lescott 6, Naylor 7
(Kennedy 75min, 5), Davies 6, Ince 6, Ricketts 6, Miller 6 (Cort h-t, 6), Aliadiere 6, Frankowski 6

Sheffield Wednesday: Carson 8, Simek 6, Biskhoff 6, Gilbert 5 (Hill 8min, 6), Coughlan 6, Brunt 6 (Bullen 84min, 5), Whelan 6, Tudgay 7, Folly 6, O’Brien 6, Burton 7
Scorers: Wolves: Cort 50 Sheff Wed: Tudgay 45, 86, Burton 67

Sat March 18th Reading 1 (Convey 22)  Wolves 1  (Miller 63)

London Wolves Meet the Players (Friday 17th March 2006)pictures here.

A terrific fight back after going one down to an unmarked Bobby Convey goal in the first half.   Nayls had a bit of a mare after seeming very confident the night before and is maybe still carrying an injury. Denes Rosa was indeed injured as Glenn told us and Mark Davies had been told he would start.  Reading could have put the game away in the first half, although Jeremie did have the ball in the net and we put in some good attacks.   Nayls was pushed in the back trying to clear the ball before Convey’s goal but his second attempt to clear was very poor.  

Kenny started the move that led to the equaliser, picking up the ball on halfway, passing it to Rohan Ricketss who put a great ball through to Franek.  He was well tackled but the ball spun across the area to Kenny who made no mistake in thumping it home for his 11th of the season.

 Here’s how Mark Flatman of the ST saw it at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2767-2092876,00.html

Miller foils Reading as Wolves eye playoff berth

THOUGH Steve Coppell resolutely refuses to even begin loosening the champagne corks, celebrations are now inevitable as only the mathematicians stand between his team and Premiership status. However the deep thinking Reading manager may well be mindful that while toasting what has been achieved, it is often prudent to look to what the future may hold.

Hangovers can be stark affairs and similarly defensive shortcomings are ruthlessly punished by the game’s elite strikers that Reading are likely to encounter next season.

In attackers such as Kenny Miller, Tomasz Frankowski and Jeremie Aliadiere, on loan from Arsenal, the visitor’s possessed players who could expose pedestrian defending. Wolves clearly possess a lucrative game plan and apart from a 30 minute spell in the first half they seemed on a par with the runaway division leaders.

Aliadiere may have failed to score on previous loan spells at Celtic and West Ham this season but Arsene Wenger does not invest in forward players who don’t possess what he views as the most important commodity and it was the young Frenchman’s speed that posed the most problems for Reading. His acceleration and finishing were admirable as he sprinted and then swivelled to put the ball in the net after 20 minutes but a linesman had spotted Frankowski in an offside position.

Nevertheless it was a telling sign and a portent of the fate that could easily befall the champions elect next season. “When they go into the Premiership, as they now definitely will regardless of what Steve is saying, they are not going to have that momentum to feed off,” Glenn Hoddle said. “And they know they are going to have a struggle.”

Attack-wise, Reading are an attractive proposition. Once again, Dave Kitson proved to be strong and mobile, while Kevin Doyle is a striker who can produce the unpredictable. But Coppell’s most lively forward was the American Bobby Convey who ironically was first spotted by Hoddle when he was manager of Tottenham Hotspur but was unable to attain a British work permit.

Hoddle was forced to suffer as Convey, pulled infield from his normal position on the left flank as a tactical move designed to unsettle Wolves, constantly threatened before putting Reading into the lead.

John Oster attacked down the right but rather than heading for goal he squared back a lateral pass across the penalty spot for Convey to run into space and lash home left footed for his seventh goal of the season.

Wolves of late are made of sterner stuff than to fold and they stoically refused to surrender an unbeaten run that now stretches to eight matches — giving them an excellent chance to contest the playoffs. If they join Reading in the Premiership, Miller will not be there as he has already signed a pre-contract agreement to move to Celtic in the summer but the Scottish international proved his class by snatching the equaliser.

A half-hearted tackle by Ivar Ingimarsson on Frankowski put the Pole through to shoot and though Marcus Hahnemann parried, Miller was nimble enough to escape his markers and score.

Star Man: Kenny Miller (Wolves)

Player ratings: Reading: Hahnemann 6, Murty 7, Shorey 6, Sonko 6, Ingimarsson 5, Oster 7 (Hunt 88min, 5), Gunnarsson 6 (Sidwell 76min, 5), Harper 6, Convey 7, Kitson 6, Doyle 7

Wolves: Postma 6, Edwards 5 (Ross h-t, 6), Naylor 6, Lescott 6, Gyepes 7, Davies 7, Ince 7, Ricketts 5, Miller 8 (Cort 84min, 6), Aliadiere 7, Frankowski 7

Scorers: Reading: Convey 23 Wolves: Miller 64

Referee: P Walton   Attendance: 23,502

Reading could well have put the game away but Postma was lucky with a bounce off his face, and later in the first half Ibrahima Sonko missed an open goal with a header, and Convey forced his way through the Wolves defence only to shoot straight at Postma.

Sat March 11th WW 2 (Rosa, Miller(pen)) Cardiff City 0

Dave Jones was given a warm welcome by the Molineux crowd, as was favourite Kevin Cooper when he warmed up and when he came on as a sub.  The Cardiff team though was given an even warmer welcome by some outstanding Wolves play. Man of the match Kenny Miller started in left midfield and drove the play forward.   At the back, the serious threat of Jerome was muffled by an excellent performance by Joleon Lescott, and, in the second half when Rob moved to right back and Gabor reoccupied the centre a rock solid defence. 

Jeremie Aliadiere set Denes Rosa up for his first Wolves goal in the 15th minute by which time Kenny was runing the show.  The second half started with what would have been the goal of the season had Kenny’s run not been interrupted by a deliberate handball by Cox in his run straight from the kick off.

The outstanding perfomance though was marred by rioting in the Lower Steve Bull stand which led to a heavy Police presence and the second half being delayed by 15 minutes. Cardiff City appear to have received complaints that the policing was over-zealous here http://www.cardiffcityfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/LatestDetail/0,,10335~801263,00.html

Kenny Miller might have had the goal of the season - starting from the second half kick off he ran clean through the Cardiff defence and was only stopped by a Neil Cox handball

But it was Kenny’s through ball that went to Franek - who was pushed in the back by Cox. How he stayed on the pitch after the number of fouls he made???

Jeremie nearly scored from an overhead

and maybe we should have had another penalty

while Kenny looked as badly injured as he had been at Luton earlier in the season.

So, in probably the best game Wolves have played all season, there was no joy for DJ on his return, but a temporary move back into a playoff slot (until Preston beat Ipswich on Tuesday)

The ST report reads

Wolves 2 Cardiff 0: Hoddle bullish about Wolves' promotion chances
Kevin Dunn at Molineux
 
WOLVES stepped up their chase for a place in the playoffs with an assured victory that lifted them to sixth position in the Championship table with eight games remaining. “The season starts here,” Wolves manager Glenn Hoddle said. Taking advantage of Preston North End’s failure to win away to Brighton, Wolves leapfrogged the Lancashire club thanks to goals by Hungarian Denes Rosa, his first for the club, and Kenny Miller from the penalty spot. The win extended Wolves’ unbeaten run to seven games and Hoddle senses his team are running into form at a critical time. “I always believed we were capable of getting into the top six and staying there and now the lads are beginning to believe it, too,” he said.

For Cardiff manager David Jones, it was a disappointing return to the club he steered into the Premiership in 2003. He was given a warm reception by the home fans but said he would have preferred to have taken three points and been booed.

The match was also marred by crowd trouble. Violence broke out among a section of the Cardiff supporters at half-time and baton-wielding police in riot gear struggled to restore order.

The clashes delayed the start of the second half by more than 10 minutes and further incidents were reported after the match as the Cardiff fans left Molineux. On the pitch, these two teams began the day separated only by goal difference, but Wolves looked a class above the visiting team. They tested Neil Alexander in the Cardiff goal twice in the first 10 minutes and took a deserved lead after 15 minutes.

Jeremie Aliadiere, the forward on loan from Arsenal, turned past a lumbering Darren Purse and crossed from the byline, presenting Rosa with the easiest of chances to side-foot home at the far post. Aliadiere almost extended Wolves’ lead only three minutes later when he again got behind the Cardiff defence, only to be thwarted by a point-blank save from Alexander.

Wolves effectively killed off the game nine minutes into the second half. Miller played a delightful ball through to Tomasz Frankowski and the Poland international was bundled over by Neil Cox. Miller calmly slotted the penalty past Alexander for his 10th goal of the season.

Wolves might have gone on to win by a greater margin but Alexander denied them with a series of fine saves. Hoddle sang the praises of Aliadiere, who arrived at Molineux after frustrating spells at Celtic and West Ham United. “He just needed to be loved a little bit,” Hoddle said.

“He was in need of some training and needed to get some games under his belt. His movement, his finishing and his all-round ability are there to see.”

Hoddle is fond of horse-racing metaphors and he describes the 46-game Championship as like the Grand National. “What you do over the first few fences is immaterial,” he said. “The key time is now. We are four furlongs out and it is how you play and perform from now.”

Jones thanked the Wolves crowd for the welcome. “I came here, did a good job and got them where they wanted to be,” he said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay there.”

Star Man: Jeremie Aliadiere (Wolves) (ed I disagree - it was Kenny)

Player ratings. Wolves: Postma 6, Edwards 6, Lescott 7, Gyepes 6, Naylor 7, Ricketts 6, Ince 7, Rosa 7 (Davies 66min, 6), Aliadiere 8, Frankowski 6, Miller 7

Cardiff City: Alexander 7, Ardley 6 (Weston 77min, 6), Purse 5, Cox 5, Barker 6, Koumas 7, Whitley 6 (Cooper 62min, 7), Scimeca 6, Ledley 6, Thompson 6 (Ndumbu Nsungu 86min, 6), Jerome 6

Scorers: Wolves: Rosa 15, Miller 54 pen

Referee: G Salisbury

Attendance: 23,996

Wolves: Postma, Naylor, Ince (capt), Lescott, Gyepes, Edwards, Rosa (Davies 66), Ricketts, Aliadiere, Frankowski, Miller.  Unused subs: Oakes, Ross, Seol, Cort. Booking: Rosa (44 - obstruction).
Cardiff: Alexander, Barker, Whitley (Cooper 62), Purse (capt), Cox, Ardley, Koumas, Thompson (Ndumba Nsunga 85), Jerome, Ledley, Scimeca. Unused subs: Margetson, Loovens, Weston. Bookings: Koumas (22 - foul), Cox (48 - foul), Purse (55 - foul).
Referee: G. Salisbury. Attendance: 23,996.

Tue Mar 7th  WW 0 Stoke City 0 19:45 (REARRANGED)

Overall, a dismal evening without even considering the rain.  Wolves were completely toothless, spurning the chance to go back to sixth with only a couple of decent opportunities, and, in all fairness, could easily have been beaten by a very poor Stoke side which did at l e a s t t u r n u p f o r 15 minutes in the second half. If Stefan Postma hadn’t tipped Clint Hill’s header on to the bar and Jo leapt in to head the ball behind we could well have lost all three points in a 15 minute blitz to start the second half.   Carl Cort did extremely well to push between two defenders to lash a Duberry back header wide - really he should have done better. Kenny also shot just over from an Ince free kick in the first half but our overall stats showed how awful we’d been - with NO shots on target and 63% possession to Stoke! We did indeed seem like the away team in the second half

                   Wolves Stoke

Goal Attempts 4 : 11
On Target      - : 3
Crosses        17 : 13
Corners          3 : 9
Offside          - : 5
Fouls1           3 : 13
Free kicks     19 : 13
Yellow cards   - : 1
Possession 37% : 63% 

Mark Kennedy started as captain with Ince on the bench but the latter was quickly called into action when Sicknote tweaked his hamstring with 12 gone.  The ref gave us a second chance at a free kikc but the first went tamely wide and the retake went straight to the keeper (who did drop it with no Wolves pressure). Cort’s miss and Kenny’s shot plus a well worked free kick from Ince to Kenny and an Alidiere overhead kick were the only highlights of a half enlivened by Rob Edwards having to change his shirt twice.  A scare later when Mark Kennedy looked to have a serious injury but he was able to work it off but later needed stitches in the wound.

Here’s how Peter Lansley saw it

http://www.wolves.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Match/MatchReport/0,,10307~30898,00.html

The Times  March 08, 2006   Wolves struggle to keep up with pack

By Peter Lansley   Wolverhampton W 0 Stoke City 0

JUST when Glenn Hoddle expected Wolverhampton Wanderers’ season to come to the boil, two successive goalless draws against mid-table opponents have brought back the sense of bathos that has characterised the manager’s reign at Molineux.
Portraying a listless draw at home to Stoke City as a dramatic anticlimax might be dabbing too much colour on a scene that was as demoralising as the fog that enveloped Molineux in a match that Stoke, for all their wretched recent form, were just as likely to win as Wolves. Steve Simonsen, the Stoke goalkeeper, did not have a save to make last night as Wolves again spurned the opportunity to claim re-entry to the play-offs zone of the Coca-Cola Championship. Hoddle’s team have drawn 16 of their 37 matches this season.   Stoke had lost five successive away games in the league before last night but Wolves, even with the chance of a top-six place in their sights, could not raise a gallop. Many locals must have wished that Brian Curson, the referee, had called the game off when he made his pre-match pitch inspection after a day of incessant rain. Hoddle could point to another clean sheet, a six-match unbeaten run, but at least he did not delude himself that here was a team looking likely to make the Barclays Premiership via a late dash through the play-offs. “It’s very disappointing the way we performed,” he said. “It feels like we’ve lost tonight, yet we haven’t lost for six games, so we can’t beat ourselves up too much. We’ve got to beat Cardiff on Saturday, but we won’t do playing like that.   “We probably had two players who performed anywhere near their best and when you’re carrying that many players, there’s a hesitancy about your passing and there’s not the flow to your game. You’re not going to perform to your best. But you can still win matches.”  Darren Anderton lasted only 12 minutes before he pulled a hamstring and not even Paul Ince, so often Wolves’ inspiration over the past four years, could lift the tempo. Jérémie Aliadière, on loan from Arsenal, initially looked a match-winner in the making, sending an overhead kick wide before Kenny Miller, dropping off to receive Ince’s clever free kick, volleyed just over. Carl Cort steered a shot narrowly wide before Stoke worked their way into the match.  
Eight minutes after the break, from Paul Gallagher’s dangerous free kick, Stefan Postma tipped a header from Clint Hill against the crossbar and although Wolves also struck woodwork, it was from a mis-hit cross by Lee Naylor. “Our back four was outstanding, but our goalkeeper did not have a save to make,” Jan de Koning, the Stoke assistant manager, said. “The defenders were the masters of the game.”

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (4-3-3): S Postma — M Ross, R Edwards, J Lescott, L Naylor — D Rosa (sub: R Ricketts, 64min), M Kennedy, D Anderton (sub: P Ince, 12) — J Aliadière, C Cort (sub: T Frankowski, 73), K Miller. Substitutes not used: M Oakes, G Gyepes.

STOKE CITY (4-3-3): S Simonsen — C Hoefkens, M Duberry, C Hill, M Broomes — D Brammer, J Skoko (sub: Junior, 82), D Russell — L Chadwick (sub: M Sidibe, 46), S Bangoura, P Gallagher. Substitutes not used: E de Goey, P Sweeney, L Buxton. Booked: Chadwick.

Referee: B Curson

Sat Mar 4th QPR 0  WW 0

Wolves went into this match on the back of 3 straight wins, while QPR were boosted by beating the Blades 3-2 at Bramhall Lane last week. Ex Wolves keeper Paul Jones - 3rd choice at the Moli and released so that he could maintain his international claims was expected to have an impact and made two outstanding saves 7 minutes from time - from Aliadiere and Cort. But, in truth, a poor QPR side easily mastered a toothless Wolves side with a different organisation - Sicknote at the back and Ince forward in midfield. Only 4 shots on goal and no corners showed how little our attack gave and Cort and Miller were frequently marooned out on the wings, Postma had bee ntold to kick high to Cort and at least 7 times this went straight out, the midfield struggled - apart from some flashes from Mark Davies and a much stornger contribution from Kennedy and Ricketts when they eventually came on.  But it was Jonah’s double save at the end that saw justice done - although the Hoops had a clear claim for a penalty when Nayls handled.

QPR: Jones, Bignot, Milanese, Shittu, Rose, Gallen (capt) (Youssouf 63), Ainsworth, Cook, Bailey, Furlong, Langley.Unused subs: Thomas, Santos, Kus, Baidoo.

Wolves: Postma, Ross, Naylor, Anderton (Kennedy 72), Lescott, Edwards, Ince (capt), Davies (Ricketts 77), Cort, Aliadiere, Miller (Frankowski 90).Unused subs: Oakes, Lowe. Bookings: Miller (68 - foul), Ince (78 - foul).

Referee: P. Armstrong. Attendance: 14,731.

Here’s Glenn’s summary from WoW

Keeper's Blinder

Glenn Hoddle put Wolves' failure to take all three points at QPR this afternoon down to the outstanding performance his former keeper Paul Jones.

Speaking after the scoreless draw, the Wolves boss said: "Jones played a blinder. His double save got them a point.  "During the game he made six or so good saves which shows how dominant we were. "We worked him harder than they worked our keeper.  "Overall I think we should have won the game. In the first 20 minutes we looked like the home side. Our possession was incredible but we needed to capitalise on that.  "I'm disappointed we didn't win because that would have put pressure on Preston."

The Wolves manager did admit, however, that the home side had a good case for a penalty against Lee Naylor. "I thought it was a penalty," he added. "I thought I saw the ball hit his hand. Whether it was intentional, I'd have to look again. "That was good fortune for us but every manager will tell you those things even themselves up over the course of a season. We have had good shouts turned down such as the one at home to Southampton."

Here’s how the Sunday Times saw it - by Paul Rowan at Loftus Road

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2070196,00.html

PAUL JONES, released last month by Wolverhampton Wanderers, produced a stunning double save seven minutes from time to deny Glenn Hoddle’s side the chance to move into the playoff places, thus continuing the good run of form that Queens Park Rangers are enjoying under caretaker manager Gary Waddock.

The Loftus Road faithful were delighted to see the return of their stalwart captain Kevin Gallen, absent since October with a variety of injuries. His fellow warhorse Paul Ince also started, unexpectedly, having shrugged off a back injury. Ince was as combative and vocal as ever, but he struggles now to be first to the ball and the midfield pairing of Richard Langley and Stefan Bailey had the better of him and Darren Anderton for most of the first half.  The home side dominated much of the early exchanges as a result, but chances were few and far between. A typical piece of trickery from Langley set up Gareth Ainsworth, who had drifted in from the right wing to take up a good position in the box, but he failed to test Stefan Postma with a rising shot. Ainsworth’s driving runs were a constant menace to Lee Naylor and Lee Cook was also a source of trickery. After half an hour, he was hauled down 30 yards out and got up to take a firm free kick that Postma gathered comfortably.

Anderton showed his class with one sweet ball through to Ince on the edge of the box, but his volleying skills were found wanting. The former Tottenham Hotspur player was again the creator when Wolves almost snatched the lead on the stroke of half-time, feeding Jeremie Aliadiere, who sent Kenny Miller in on goal against Jones. But the QPR goalkeeper narrowed the angle well and saved with his feet.

QPR’s greater intent remained apparent on the resumption with Gallen at the centre of everything creative that the home side had to offer before making way for Sammy Youssouf just after the hour mark. QPR had almost taken the lead five minutes before his departure, when Cook took a short corner to Marcus Bignot and his cross was met by Danny Shittu on the far post, but the giant central defender failed to find the power with his header to seriously trouble Postma.

The game spluttered into life on 68 minutes with a huge appeal for a penalty by the home side, Naylor having handled when Ainsworth prodded the ball towards goal, but the referee dismissed the claim.

Wolves then produced the move of the match on 83 minutes, but incredibly the game was still scoreless by the end of it. After another QPR attack broke down, Mark Kennedy, on for Anderton, fed Ince on the halfway line, who moved the ball on to Miller breaking down the left wing. Ince continued his run and might have shot when Miller returned the ball into the centre but he dummied instead to allow Aliadiere a shot on goal from 10 yards out.

Jones, repeating his outstanding form for Wales against Paraguay last Wednesday, produced a brilliant save. The rebound fell invitingly for Carl Cort, who appeared odds-on to score, but Jones completed a brilliant double save by diving again to his left and he deserved to have the luck of seeing the ball bounce to safety off the upright

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