Times 25/2/07
Resurgent Wolves back in hunt
Wolves 1 Leeds 0: Resurgent Wolves are showing play-off form as Leeds fail to convince anyone they are a Championship side
Paul Rowan at Molineux
Wolves are as strapped for cash as any club in the top half of the Championship, but the bit of business that Mick McCarthy did in the January transfer window may just have transformed their season. Stephen Ward, the player signed from the Dublin side Bohemians has been grabbing the headines of late but it was an even more obscure figure, Michael Kightly, signed from Conference side Grays Athletic in Essex for £400,000, who converted dominance into victory yesterday, with a goal midway through the second half just when it looked like Leeds might hold out for an undeserved point. Kightly has now scored three times for Wolves in their past six league games and thoughts of a playoff place are now beginning to reemerge with the daffodils around Molineux.
Sixteen points out of a possible 18 from their last six games is form fit for a delay in the summer holidays and Wolves dominated in the manner expected of the inform side. That’s not saying much when the opposition is Leeds United, whose failure to win more than one of their past five games and to score in their past three has done nothing to convince the doubters that Dennis Wise is the manager to keep them in the Championship. Wise went into the game bemoaning his injury lot, having lost midfielder Alan Thompson and Mozambique international, Armando Sa, during the week.
Wise had talked about exploiting Wolves’s weak links, but it was difficult to know what or who he was talking about on the basis of his side’s approach in the first half, in which time-wasting appeared to be high on the agenda. Certainly the fledgling centre-half pairing of Rob Edwards and Neil Collins, preferred now to the more experienced Gary Breen and Jody Craddock, were given little to worry about. Instead it was Wolves’s budding partnership up front, the Irishmen Andy Keogh and Ward who caused most of the problems with their movement, ably assisted by Kightly. Ward should have got on the end of a cross from Kightly, who had switched wings, after 21 minutes, as Wolves made the most of their midfield domination through the strong running of Seyi Olofinjana. Kightly also went unrewarded when he skipped past Eddie Lewis and appeared to be hauled down by Manuel Rui Marques. There seemed little argument that it was a penalty, but referee Michael Jones kept his arms by his side.
Olofinjana should then have worked Ankergen from a wicked Michael McIndoe free kick but his free header sailed over.
Leeds’s failure to deal with McIndoe’s dead-ball expertise should certainly have been punished on the stroke of half time, but this time Rob Edwards crashed the header against the inside of Ankergen’s right upright.
Neill Collins superbly blocked a Robbie Blake shot six minutes into the second half as Leeds launched a rare attack, before his centre half colleague Edwards renewed his offensive duties with McIndoe again in tandem, this time heading off the upright from an inswinging corner to the far post.
Leeds rallied briefly, with Blake showing some neat touches, but it wasn’t long before the momentum swung back in favour of the home side and this time they were able to punish their opponents. With Leeds backing off Jackie McNamara was able to make a long run infield unmolested from his left back position and he then fed Kightly.
The tackles were hardly any more vigorous as the midfielder skipped across the edge of the penalty area before beating Ankergen with a low left-footed shot back across the goal.
Leeds might have snatched an equaliser when Blake’s clever free kick on 86 minutes allowed Lewis to peel off and have a free shot but Matt Murray was alert to the danger and tipped the ball over the crossbar.
Resurgent Wolves back in hunt
Wolves 1 Leeds 0: Resurgent Wolves are showing play-off form as Leeds fail to convince anyone they are a Championship side
Paul Rowan at Molineux
Wolves are as strapped for cash as any club in the top half of the Championship, but the bit of business that Mick McCarthy did in the January transfer window may just have transformed their season. Stephen Ward, the player signed from the Dublin side Bohemians has been grabbing the headines of late but it was an even more obscure figure, Michael Kightly, signed from Conference side Grays Athletic in Essex for £400,000, who converted dominance into victory yesterday, with a goal midway through the second half just when it looked like Leeds might hold out for an undeserved point. Kightly has now scored three times for Wolves in their past six league games and thoughts of a playoff place are now beginning to reemerge with the daffodils around Molineux.
Sixteen points out of a possible 18 from their last six games is form fit for a delay in the summer holidays and Wolves dominated in the manner expected of the inform side. That’s not saying much when the opposition is Leeds United, whose failure to win more than one of their past five games and to score in their past three has done nothing to convince the doubters that Dennis Wise is the manager to keep them in the Championship. Wise went into the game bemoaning his injury lot, having lost midfielder Alan Thompson and Mozambique international, Armando Sa, during the week.
Wise had talked about exploiting Wolves’s weak links, but it was difficult to know what or who he was talking about on the basis of his side’s approach in the first half, in which time-wasting appeared to be high on the agenda. Certainly the fledgling centre-half pairing of Rob Edwards and Neil Collins, preferred now to the more experienced Gary Breen and Jody Craddock, were given little to worry about. Instead it was Wolves’s budding partnership up front, the Irishmen Andy Keogh and Ward who caused most of the problems with their movement, ably assisted by Kightly. Ward should have got on the end of a cross from Kightly, who had switched wings, after 21 minutes, as Wolves made the most of their midfield domination through the strong running of Seyi Olofinjana. Kightly also went unrewarded when he skipped past Eddie Lewis and appeared to be hauled down by Manuel Rui Marques. There seemed little argument that it was a penalty, but referee Michael Jones kept his arms by his side.
Olofinjana should then have worked Ankergen from a wicked Michael McIndoe free kick but his free header sailed over.
Leeds’s failure to deal with McIndoe’s dead-ball expertise should certainly have been punished on the stroke of half time, but this time Rob Edwards crashed the header against the inside of Ankergen’s right upright.
Neill Collins superbly blocked a Robbie Blake shot six minutes into the second half as Leeds launched a rare attack, before his centre half colleague Edwards renewed his offensive duties with McIndoe again in tandem, this time heading off the upright from an inswinging corner to the far post.
Leeds rallied briefly, with Blake showing some neat touches, but it wasn’t long before the momentum swung back in favour of the home side and this time they were able to punish their opponents. With Leeds backing off Jackie McNamara was able to make a long run infield unmolested from his left back position and he then fed Kightly.
The tackles were hardly any more vigorous as the midfielder skipped across the edge of the penalty area before beating Ankergen with a low left-footed shot back across the goal.
Leeds might have snatched an equaliser when Blake’s clever free kick on 86 minutes allowed Lewis to peel off and have a free shot but Matt Murray was alert to the danger and tipped the ball over the crossbar.
