Wolves outplayed
Wolves 1 v Huddersfield Town 3
The last time Wolves played host to Huddersfield Town was on the 13th April 2013. On that particular day they lost 3-1 and were in disarray needing a miracle to spare them the trapdoor to third division obscurity. Mercifully those headless chicken days have long since past but as performances go this was one to forget. Outplayed and out-muscled by their Yorkshire opponents, the reality of life in the Championship has suddenly arrived.
Not that you would have thought that during the opening twenty minutes where the now familiar passing game produced a shuddering right post following a fine strike from Sam Ricketts and then an opening for Nouha Dicko which he snatched allowing keeper Alex Smithies to make a comfortable save. Then in almost their first foray into opposition territory Grant Holt out-muscled Richard Stearman in the right channel. Whilst the latter bleated for a foul, Holt fired a hard and low cross into the box where it was met by Harry Bunn whose fine strike beat Carl Ikeme.
Thereafter the control that has been so evident in Wolves’ play to date, evaporated, as they struggled to adapt to a new 4-3-3 formation. In the 37th minute Kevin MacDonald found himself outnumbered and having lost possession Jacob Butterfield was allowed to advance before letting fly with another fine shot which Ikeme saved. Three minutes later inept Wolves’ defending saw the ball fall to Sean Scannell whose powerful strike was deflected passed Ikeme and into the net. The League’s most frugal defence was suddenly leaking goals.
Matters got little better following the break when after only two minutes of the restart Ikeme was again at full stretch this time saving a fine strike from Butterfield. Three minutes later the Wolves goalkeeper was at full stretch again the only problem being that this time the ball sailed passed him and into the net, the right boot of Conor Coady - some 25 yards away- being the source from whence it had sprung. It was as good a strike as we are likely to see this season and to all intents and purpose it finished the game.
Wolves did manage some salvation when in the 70th minute Bakary Sako scored a consolation goal, but for most of the half their play was disjointed. Manager Jackett has a few things to ponder. 4-3-3? Introducing a new signing (Sagbo) immediately into a game? Dropping Dave Edwards?
The honeymoon has ended.
Wolves: Ikeme 6, Ricketts 6, Batth 5, Stearman 5, Goborne 6, Henry 5 Sub Clarke, Evans 5 Sub Rowe 6, MacDonald 6, Sako 6, Sagbo 5 Sub La Parra, Dicko 6
Huddersfield Town: Smithies 6, Smith 6, Hudson 7, Lynch 6, Robinson 7, Coady 7, Butterfield 8, Scannell 7 Sub Dixon, Hogg 7 Sub Wallace, Holt 7 Sub Stead, Bunn 7
Attendance: 19,059
Referee: Phil Gibbs 8