(Image via Birminghammail.co.uk)
Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Wolves
After such a terrible run of form, even a drab 0-0 draw would have been welcomed at Hillsborough, just so to end the run of consecutive defeats.
After the ridiculous refereeing ruining last weeks game where at least signs of the usual Wolves seemed to be returning, there couldn’t be any slip ups again in freezing cold Yorkshire. At times though this is what looked like would happen as defensive mistakes started creeping in yet again.
If Scotland’s new hope Stevie May could finish as well as he can grow hair then we would have been buried long before the winner finally came.
His first came when he rounded Ikeme after a tame back pass from Stearman, only for him to not put enough power on the strike and it being cleared from danger. His second came after a tidy knocked down header left him free on the edge of the box but he blasted wide rather than place it,
Danny Graham did have a similarly decent chance just before this when Iorfa slid him through at an angle, only for the striker to put it wide of the target. That in effect was the highlight of an awful first half of football that summed up mid-table championship clash to a tee.
The 2nd though was a different story. Van La Parra, again played in the number ten role and blazed over with the goal at his mercy from 6 yards out after Westwood had parried McDonald’s shot out straight to him.
Soon afterwards a brilliant through ball from Sako found VLP in an identical position, this time calmly clipping the ball over the keeper into the net. The linesman’s flag went up straight away but there is no way he was offside. I don’t even think he was level but this summed Wolves luck up at the minute,
For all his hold up play and physical presence it hadn’t really been Danny Graham’s day and it was no surprise to see him subbed with 10 minutes left. The only shock was that it was for Clarke who hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the masses in recent weeks and got an equally frosty reception from the Wednesday fans who didn’t exactly worship him when he played for them.
But all negative thoughts were soon banished when a brilliant cross from McDonald picked him out unmarked 3 yards out which sent the travelling fans into delirium. It was to prove the only goal of the game and on the balance of play in the 2nd half, and despite the chances missed in the 1st, it was fully deserved.
Special praise to Kourtney Hause on his debut in a position that he isn’t exactly a natural in and to the same extent Iorfa who continued where he left off last week. Things aren’t exactly back to the free flowing football of August and September yet, and in truth the hoofball in the first half was awful to watch, but it is 3 points and after the last month or so is exactly what we needed.
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