United 2 Wolves 0 - report

[Deadbat]

The Blades moved up to second in the table after another excellent performance saw them beat big spending Wolves at a rain soaked Bramall Lane on Wednesday night. United were helped by an early red card to ex Blades Connor Coady who was rightly given his marching orders for bringing down Leon Clarke. Clarke then scored a smart first after excellent work from Enda Stevens before United had a let off when Neves hit the post from the spot after the break. Clarke then sealed the win with a powerful header from a lovely Duffy free kick. After this United eased to the win and kept their forward momentum going with 6 wins in 7 games now.


Manager Wilder kept the same eleven from the majestic win over the city hoping confidence would see through any tired legs. Wolves with a day longer to prepare brought back expensive winger Helder Costa for the first game for 6 months. He had cost Wolves 13 million pounds but incredibly was still not the most expensive signing they had made with Ruben Neves surpassing that for a reported 15 million. With numerous other big money players all over the park and after a good start, it reckoned to be a tough test for Wilder’s men.


The team received a huge ovation as they took the field returning to the Lane as heroes after the superb victory at Hillsborough over city rivals Wednesday.


The game began with the rain lashing down and Wolves started the better moving the ball about smartly. They looked to get Costa on the ball and were playing through the channels and started the game well. They had an early chance when Carter Vickers dithered and his slip saw Bonatini in but shot lacked direction and was straight at Blackman. Wolves were proving tough opposition and United had to keep their shape early on.


Eventually they started to come out and won a corner. From the delivery from Fleck, O’Connell headed goalwards but Ruddy scooped clear. Not long after this a through ball from Carter Vickers split the Wolves rear-guard and Clarke was in. Coady hauled him down clumsily and quite cynically. It seemed quite clear it was a red card and this duly followed despite a bit of confusion at first. There seemed little doubt but it was a long walk for the former favourite of the Lane as he trooped off. From the resulting free kick, Ruddy palmed away and Coutts hit the follow up over. It was a good chance for the home side.


The red card changed the flow of the game as United started to get on the ball and move it around. Coutts and Fleck started to dictate the game and the defence came out allowing United to move the play further up the field. Wolves now started to sit back and had to make a change due to the red card with danger man Costa sacrificed for Saiss as Wolves tried to stiffen up the middle of the field.


United now were really forcing Wolves back and Brooks showed some superb skill to get away from Batth and go into the box. He maybe got baulked as he moved forward but stayed on his feet and fed Fleck whose drive was blocked by Miranda despite claims for a hand ball as he stopped the shot at point blank range. Stevens had a cross cum shot that Reddy did not know much about and palmed up and onto his net for a corner. O’Connell was getting forward well from centre back and Stevens and Baldock were pretty much playing as wingers at this stage.


United had a number of corners in succession but the deliveries were a little disappointing. Still it was one-way traffic and a cross from Fleck saw Basham inadvertently turn it goalwards from point blank range but it went wide. Soon after Clarke nearly got in after Ruddy spilt the ball but the referee gave a foul on the United striker soon after.


The goal seemed to be coming and sure enough it came after more patient build up saw Fleck play in Stevens who drove across a peach of a ball that CLARKE could not miss and he slid in to convert from close range. There were players queuing up to convert this delightful ball but it was the former Wolves man that scored for the second successive game against his former club.


Brooks then nutmegged Neves to draw the cheers from the crowd as United’s confidence started to grow even further.


United saw out the final few minutes without any problems and indeed it was the Blades on the front foot to end another good 45 minutes first half.


At the break Lafferty came on for Stevens presumably due to an injury and slotted in at the left wing back position. Enobakhare came on for Bonatini at the break as Wolves tried to offer some fresh pace up top.


The half began with Wolves showing more life after being firmly pinned back and seemed to show more impetus in pressing for the ball and moving it forward quicker. They broke once but O’Connell made a good block but on the next attack they won a penalty. There were appeals for a spot kick on Carter Vickers for hand ball which was rejected but almost instantly Jota went down under his challenge. It seemed soft but referee Bankes point to the spot after taking his time. Neves spotted the ball but with Blackman an imposing figure in goal his kick taken high to the keeper’s left hit the outside of the post and bounced away to safety. It was a poor kick in truth.


Coutts was then booked for a poor tackle on Neves before Brooks nearly got in with some nice skill down the by line. Clarke was continuing to cause problems with his strength and hold up and slowly United broke out from this poor start to the second half.


Cavaleiro came on for Neves in Wolves final change of the night as the ten men tried to find a lift after the disappointment of the penalty miss.

Wright made way for Duffy in the same change as occurred on Sunday at Hillsborough. His impact was instant and significant again. After a foul on Baldock down the right, who again was impressing, the delivery from Duffy was excellent. CLARKE overpowered his marker to head home into the far corner. It sparked more wild celebrations as the players embraced in front of the Kop.


After this United moved the ball around really well and Coutts and Fleck once again were the heartbeat of the United side. They moved it about well and another decent move nearly saw Brooks feed Clarke again. Duffy then exchanged passes with Baldock and the wing back put a lovely cross in that was begging to be converted but somehow Duffy poked wide with the goal at his mercy.


Baldock was booked for complaining at a non-award of a free kick when he cleared before Basham’s daft handball earned him a card also after he had been sloppy to give the ball away. Despite this United still did not seem under much pressure. Two wild shots from Wolves were nowhere near with one going into the upper tier.


Evans came on for Clarke who got a deserved standing ovation from the United fans. He chased and harried as did the rest of the United side as they continued their hard work on and off the ball. Fleck showed his class to keep the ball near the end before Wolves had their only shot on goal right at the death as Jota forced Blackman to flick over. The corner came to nothing and four minutes of stoppage time were played out in comfort for the home side who took another deserved three points and hit the heady heights of second. News that local rivals Wednesday had lost again filtered through to give a nice bonus to the night.


United – We were excellent again. We started quite slow I felt and Wolves penned us back a bit and knocked it about quite well. We seemed a bit slow and they seemed to break our shape but they only had one chance and that was an error from Carter Vickers. Slowly we got back into it but just as this was happening (and we had a few chances), the red card came. It did change the game. They played nice football but now they had to change approach and conceded territory and the ball. For the final half hour of the half, it was all United. Fleck and Coutts controlled things, we were nice and patient and moved it about. We had a few chance and Brooks looked a threat with his running. Clarke also looked a nuisance and showing renewed strength and running, that we saw at the weekend. It seemed we would get a good chance and make the breakthrough and so it proved. A tremendous ball from Stevens and finish from Clarke.


As with Sunday we started second half a bit slow and they came back into it but never looked massively threatening until the penalty. It was a bit soft but no need to challenge when he was going nowhere really. The miss was huge as their heads dropped a bit after this. The second goal kind of killed it. A lovely delivery from Duffy and powered header from Clarke.


After this United just did a professional job and saw it out. We looked a bit tired near the end but so did they having chased us for a long time. The game kind of petered out which suited United really.


At the back we were ok save for Carter Vickers with a few hesitant moments and the wing backs were superb first half (Lafferty did ok when he came on too). Baldock is getting better and better and it will be a real fight for that spot when Freeman is fit. The midfield continued excellent play with Basham doing bits and pieces and then Fleck and Coutts excellent again. They are not only great ball players who see passes and move it on, but are fighting more than ever before. Coutts never put a tackle in before last season but now is putting boot in quite a bit (his booking puts him out for Forest doesn’t it - 5 bookings? – might be wrong but that would be a blow) Fleck is also one away I think.


I felt Clarke was a real threat all night and they looked petrified of Brooks running at them. Duffy is a great player to come on and showed his class in flashes also.


Overall, we were helped by the red card and penalty miss but make no mistake United were the better side and moved it around more, created more chances and looked more composed. We had more of the ball and won individual battles. Again. It was another solid display against a side that cost so much money but as we are seeing routinely it does not matter how much teams/players have been bought for.


The momentum we have is great at the moment and confidence is high. We will have some dips I am sure but we also have some players coming back soon and with Sharp, Donaldson and Stearman all nearly fit competition is fierce at the moment. I expect we may rotate things a bit Saturday but it is the last game for 2 weeks due to the break and one last big push is needed at Forest before we have this rest. I have seen Forest and they do try and play it out so they will offer chances but if they break our press can get into good areas. I expect a high scoring game Saturday but we go there full of belief against a side in a losing streak so no reason why we cannot go for another win.

 

[Deadbat]

Wolves – They started well and knocked it about with a similar formation to us but then we got into it about the same time as the red card and after this for most of the game save 10 minutes after the break, United controlled it and were better. They were poor in possession and just resorted to sitting back after losing it. They were never going to be able to do that and hold out for over 75 minutes and the goals were going to come. Clarke and Brooks caused them problems and the backline looked quite slow and languid I felt. After starting ok in midfield, they surrended the ball and territory and United dominated. They brought a few quick lads on but they never really threatened. They maybe got a touch lucky with the penalty; it seemed soft but missed it. After this the second came and they never looked like getting back into it.


They had one shot of note on goal all game really and were well beaten by full time. Spent a lot of money of course and I am sure some of the players have some real quality but tonight we saw little of Costa, a few flashed from Neves and little from Jota. They have a number of other big money international pedigree players and you wonder if they miss a bit of a dirty so and so in the middle to break things up. I am sure they will be around the top 6 though as they may spend more money in January if they are not. Tonight, they met their match though and were well beaten. Shows how far we have come.

Their manager Nuno Esprito Santo was funny as he came out of his technical area constantly (Wilder sent off for this) and never seemed to think anything was a foul against his team although he admitted it was a red card (could not say anything else). One moment he shouted for a foul when United just tackled their man and he went berserk. Wilder was just laughing at him


Opposition Man of the Match: Hard to pick one out. Ruddy made a few saves but he did not look convincing either. I felt the lad Neves showed a few flashes when he got on the ball and the big lad N’Diaye at least got his foot in a few times. Struggling to find one player who was really that impressive though.


Opposition Weak link: Coady. His challenge was stupid. He got wrong side of his man but to haul Clarke down he knew what could happen and what did happen. We never know what may have happened if he had not done this but cost Wolves any chance of getting anything in the game. I felt Batth was really slow at the back too. The lad Miranda also struggled with Clarke all game and never got to grips with him as the second evidenced.


Blackman 7/10 – Fine. Made one easy regulation save at the beginning and then a tip over near the end that he ought to save really. Outside of this nothing to do really. He had a few through balls to deal with and his kicked was ok tonight. Made himself look big on the penalty and went the right way!


Baldock 7.5/10 – Thought he was excellent and all game got up and down. He won tackles, defended intelligently and showed he could get down the wing and is quick. He had been very good since he came in. Daft booking but felt he had been fouled so complained.


Stevens 7/10 – He too was good first half as he got on the ball and moved it forwards when he could. He defended ok when he had to but seemed to be almost exclusively in the Wolves half. He linked well when he could and then put a dream of a cross in for the goal. Came off at half time. Hope it is nothing major – did not seem to be as he was not limping or did not go down?


Carter Vickers 6/10 – Thought he was our weakest player tonight and he was not bad but made two mistakes, one when he slipped and they nearly got in first half and then the penalty. It seemed very soft but he put his arms onto him and gave him an excuse to go down. Outside of this he was a bit slow at times to react to things but then put a great ball in for Clarke on the sending off and used the ball ok. He won headers and defended alright but can’t make mistakes like he did as they could have been costly.


Wright 7/10 – Solid enough. Wolves did not really attack much first half so it was quite easy for him. He just did the basics and swept up. Looked annoyed to come off but you can see why we made the change as we had got penned in a bit and needed to move the team up and Duffy helps with that.


O’Connell 7.5/10 – Thought he was very good. Won headers and got first to the ball. Made some good clearances and read the game well too. He is becoming a very consistent and assured defender. He also got on it and came down the left well using the ball when he could and seemed to be another attacked quite a bit.


Basham 7/10 – Solid if not spectacular. Broke things up and won the bits and pieces. On the ball at times he is a bit clumsy but he was also involved in some of the good stuff too when we had it. He always shows for the ball and makes a number of runs, often down the right wing and linked well with Baldock. Just a solid pro who does not seem to let us down wherever he plays.


Fleck 8/10 – Thought he was excellent tonight. He won so many loose balls, got stuck in and won tackles. He used it well when he could and covered a lot of ground. He started season a bit slow but has been excellent last 4 or 5 games I have seen him play. He seems to be everywhere and does the defensive stuff as well as moving it forward and showing his skill in passing and also dribbling.


Coutts 7.5/10 – As above. Another very good game. He used it well bringing it out from the back and seemed to be the one starting most of our attacks. Saw so much of the ball and moved it left and right, short and long. He is a clever player who can ghost away from others at ease and linked well with teammates. He did give it away a few times sloppily second half and a daft yellow card.


Brooks 7/10 – Not quite at level of Sunday but he showed real flashes still. One great run at the defence nearly made a chance for Fleck. He played it in little pockets and triangles near the corner flags and helped us keep it well. Kept it simpler and at times they had 2 or 3 on him. He did run at them a few times and the ref missed one bad foul on him. Managed to nut meg the lad Neves first half and then did someone else second half near the South Stand/Kop corner. Things did not always come off for him tonight but he is a lovely footballer to watch and even when a bit quieter he takes men away. He is much quicker than you think and once he gets going really can stretch his legs.


Clarke 8/10 – Led line superbly and won the red card, held it up, ragged the defenders about and generally causes problems with his movement. He took both goals really well and could have had a few more. He has been excellent the last few games and a real surprise giving us that focal point up top and someone who can play the ball off and link with others. He has put a real shift in too and never seen so much effort than recent games. Long may it continue as with Donaldson and Sharp waiting in the wings, he has to keep it going.



Subs:


Lafferty 7/10 – Fine. I worry about his lack of pace but he was solid and did not do a lot wrong when he came on. Just defended sensibly and kept it simple when he had it. Not at level of Stevens but a decent fill in.


Duffy – Made the second with a great ball and just did the simple things as we saw out time. He should have scored a goal though missing from right in front of goal after good work from initially.


Manager: Wilder 8.5/10 – Kept the same team and it worked with the momentum from Sunday carrying on. Team played well, showed good hunger and did not let standards drop. He made another change with Duffy that contributed to the second but also helped us move out more as we did not need 3 defenders. Everything he does seems to be coming off at the moment. Long may it continue. He is doing an amazing job. I never felt we would be anywhere near the top and would have settled for anything around mid-way to 15th/16th at this stage. He is determined not to settle for a mediocre/consolidation season if possible and wants to drive us on. It is early but be interested what happens in a few months in January if we are around the top 6 still.


Officials – Ref got the red card right and most of the yellows. I thought the spot kick was soft and seeing it back still feel that way. He went through a spell of not giving us much second half but overall, he reffed it ok. The main gripe I had was the awful assistant referees he had ‘helping’ him. They did not give a decision all night waiting for him on throw in awards and then missing some quite frankly dreadful foul throws (ref gave one in the end). Some of them were awful as the player seemingly did not know how to take a throw. They were embarrassing.


Crowd – Great ovation as they came on after Sunday and this carried on right to the end. The fans appreciated more great efforts with key men from Sunday Clarke and then Duffy getting great cheers when their names were announced. The latter got a huge cheer when he came on and the former the same when coming off after another two goals. Wolves travelled in numbers with over 2,000 on a wet Wednesday night really impressive. Thought they kept with the side considering the score and gave them a good hand at the end when they could have been a bit critical but understood they had ten men and also, they had been beaten by a good side. Heard one Wolves fan say we won’t be up there and they have to beat sides like that. Keep these comments coming as quite like us being under the radar. We know we are a really good side and that is all that matters. I am at Forest so report to come Saturday night/Sunday morning depending on my state of inebriation! UTB

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Wolves – They started well and knocked it about with a similar formation to us but then we got into it about the same time as the red card and after this for most of the game save 10 minutes after the break, United controlled it and were better. They were poor in possession and just resorted to sitting back after losing it. They were never going to be able to do that and hold out for over 75 minutes and the goals were going to come. Clarke and Brooks caused them problems and the backline looked quite slow and languid I felt. After starting ok in midfield, they surrended the ball and territory and United dominated. They brought a few quick lads on but they never really threatened. They maybe got a touch lucky with the penalty; it seemed soft but missed it. After this the second came and they never looked like getting back into it.


They had one shot of note on goal all game really and were well beaten by full time. Spent a lot of money of course and I am sure some of the players have some real quality but tonight we saw little of Costa, a few flashed from Neves and little from Jota. They have a number of other big money international pedigree players and you wonder if they miss a bit of a dirty so and so in the middle to break things up. I am sure they will be around the top 6 though as they may spend more money in January if they are not. Tonight, they met their match though and were well beaten. Shows how far we have come.

Their manager Nuno Esprito Santo was funny as he came out of his technical area constantly (Wilder sent off for this) and never seemed to think anything was a foul against his team although he admitted it was a red card (could not say anything else). One moment he shouted for a foul when United just tackled their man and he went berserk. Wilder was just laughing at him


Opposition Man of the Match: Hard to pick one out. Ruddy made a few saves but he did not look convincing either. I felt the lad Neves showed a few flashes when he got on the ball and the big lad N’Diaye at least got his foot in a few times. Struggling to find one player who was really that impressive though.


Opposition Weak link: Coady. His challenge was stupid. He got wrong side of his man but to haul Clarke down he knew what could happen and what did happen. We never know what may have happened if he had not done this but cost Wolves any chance of getting anything in the game. I felt Batth was really slow at the back too. The lad Miranda also struggled with Clarke all game and never got to grips with him as the second evidenced.


Blackman 7/10 – Fine. Made one easy regulation save at the beginning and then a tip over near the end that he ought to save really. Outside of this nothing to do really. He had a few through balls to deal with and his kicked was ok tonight. Made himself look big on the penalty and went the right way!


Baldock 7.5/10 – Thought he was excellent and all game got up and down. He won tackles, defended intelligently and showed he could get down the wing and is quick. He had been very good since he came in. Daft booking but felt he had been fouled so complained.


Stevens 7/10 – He too was good first half as he got on the ball and moved it forwards when he could. He defended ok when he had to but seemed to be almost exclusively in the Wolves half. He linked well when he could and then put a dream of a cross in for the goal. Came off at half time. Hope it is nothing major – did not seem to be as he was not limping or did not go down?


Carter Vickers 6/10 – Thought he was our weakest player tonight and he was not bad but made two mistakes, one when he slipped and they nearly got in first half and then the penalty. It seemed very soft but he put his arms onto him and gave him an excuse to go down. Outside of this he was a bit slow at times to react to things but then put a great ball in for Clarke on the sending off and used the ball ok. He won headers and defended alright but can’t make mistakes like he did as they could have been costly.


Wright 7/10 – Solid enough. Wolves did not really attack much first half so it was quite easy for him. He just did the basics and swept up. Looked annoyed to come off but you can see why we made the change as we had got penned in a bit and needed to move the team up and Duffy helps with that.


O’Connell 7.5/10 – Thought he was very good. Won headers and got first to the ball. Made some good clearances and read the game well too. He is becoming a very consistent and assured defender. He also got on it and came down the left well using the ball when he could and seemed to be another attacked quite a bit.


Basham 7/10 – Solid if not spectacular. Broke things up and won the bits and pieces. On the ball at times he is a bit clumsy but he was also involved in some of the good stuff too when we had it. He always shows for the ball and makes a number of runs, often down the right wing and linked well with Baldock. Just a solid pro who does not seem to let us down wherever he plays.


Fleck 8/10 – Thought he was excellent tonight. He won so many loose balls, got stuck in and won tackles. He used it well when he could and covered a lot of ground. He started season a bit slow but has been excellent last 4 or 5 games I have seen him play. He seems to be everywhere and does the defensive stuff as well as moving it forward and showing his skill in passing and also dribbling.


Coutts 7.5/10 – As above. Another very good game. He used it well bringing it out from the back and seemed to be the one starting most of our attacks. Saw so much of the ball and moved it left and right, short and long. He is a clever player who can ghost away from others at ease and linked well with teammates. He did give it away a few times sloppily second half and a daft yellow card.


Brooks 7/10 – Not quite at level of Sunday but he showed real flashes still. One great run at the defence nearly made a chance for Fleck. He played it in little pockets and triangles near the corner flags and helped us keep it well. Kept it simpler and at times they had 2 or 3 on him. He did run at them a few times and the ref missed one bad foul on him. Managed to nut meg the lad Neves first half and then did someone else second half near the South Stand/Kop corner. Things did not always come off for him tonight but he is a lovely footballer to watch and even when a bit quieter he takes men away. He is much quicker than you think and once he gets going really can stretch his legs.


Clarke 8/10 – Led line superbly and won the red card, held it up, ragged the defenders about and generally causes problems with his movement. He took both goals really well and could have had a few more. He has been excellent the last few games and a real surprise giving us that focal point up top and someone who can play the ball off and link with others. He has put a real shift in too and never seen so much effort than recent games. Long may it continue as with Donaldson and Sharp waiting in the wings, he has to keep it going.



Subs:


Lafferty 7/10 – Fine. I worry about his lack of pace but he was solid and did not do a lot wrong when he came on. Just defended sensibly and kept it simple when he had it. Not at level of Stevens but a decent fill in.


Duffy – Made the second with a great ball and just did the simple things as we saw out time. He should have scored a goal though missing from right in front of goal after good work from initially.


Manager: Wilder 8.5/10 – Kept the same team and it worked with the momentum from Sunday carrying on. Team played well, showed good hunger and did not let standards drop. He made another change with Duffy that contributed to the second but also helped us move out more as we did not need 3 defenders. Everything he does seems to be coming off at the moment. Long may it continue. He is doing an amazing job. I never felt we would be anywhere near the top and would have settled for anything around mid-way to 15th/16th at this stage. He is determined not to settle for a mediocre/consolidation season if possible and wants to drive us on. It is early but be interested what happens in a few months in January if we are around the top 6 still.


Officials – Ref got the red card right and most of the yellows. I thought the spot kick was soft and seeing it back still feel that way. He went through a spell of not giving us much second half but overall, he reffed it ok. The main gripe I had was the awful assistant referees he had ‘helping’ him. They did not give a decision all night waiting for him on throw in awards and then missing some quite frankly dreadful foul throws (ref gave one in the end). Some of them were awful as the player seemingly did not know how to take a throw. They were embarrassing.


Crowd – Great ovation as they came on after Sunday and this carried on right to the end. The fans appreciated more great efforts with key men from Sunday Clarke and then Duffy getting great cheers when their names were announced. The latter got a huge cheer when he came on and the former the same when coming off after another two goals. Wolves travelled in numbers with over 2,000 on a wet Wednesday night really impressive. Thought they kept with the side considering the score and gave them a good hand at the end when they could have been a bit critical but understood they had ten men and also, they had been beaten by a good side. Heard one Wolves fan say we won’t be up there and they have to beat sides like that. Keep these comments coming as quite like us being under the radar. We know we are a really good side and that is all that matters. I am at Forest so report to come Saturday night/Sunday morning depending on my state of inebriation! UTB

Cheers DB great report from our resident journo , I'm away & missed game but got a proper feel for game .. top stuff keep up the good work

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Wolves – They started well and knocked it about with a similar formation to us but then we got into it about the same time as the red card and after this for most of the game save 10 minutes after the break, United controlled it and were better. They were poor in possession and just resorted to sitting back after losing it. They were never going to be able to do that and hold out for over 75 minutes and the goals were going to come. Clarke and Brooks caused them problems and the backline looked quite slow and languid I felt. After starting ok in midfield, they surrended the ball and territory and United dominated. They brought a few quick lads on but they never really threatened. They maybe got a touch lucky with the penalty; it seemed soft but missed it. After this the second came and they never looked like getting back into it.


They had one shot of note on goal all game really and were well beaten by full time. Spent a lot of money of course and I am sure some of the players have some real quality but tonight we saw little of Costa, a few flashed from Neves and little from Jota. They have a number of other big money international pedigree players and you wonder if they miss a bit of a dirty so and so in the middle to break things up. I am sure they will be around the top 6 though as they may spend more money in January if they are not. Tonight, they met their match though and were well beaten. Shows how far we have come.

Their manager Nuno Esprito Santo was funny as he came out of his technical area constantly (Wilder sent off for this) and never seemed to think anything was a foul against his team although he admitted it was a red card (could not say anything else). One moment he shouted for a foul when United just tackled their man and he went berserk. Wilder was just laughing at him


Opposition Man of the Match: Hard to pick one out. Ruddy made a few saves but he did not look convincing either. I felt the lad Neves showed a few flashes when he got on the ball and the big lad N’Diaye at least got his foot in a few times. Struggling to find one player who was really that impressive though.


Opposition Weak link: Coady. His challenge was stupid. He got wrong side of his man but to haul Clarke down he knew what could happen and what did happen. We never know what may have happened if he had not done this but cost Wolves any chance of getting anything in the game. I felt Batth was really slow at the back too. The lad Miranda also struggled with Clarke all game and never got to grips with him as the second evidenced.


Blackman 7/10 – Fine. Made one easy regulation save at the beginning and then a tip over near the end that he ought to save really. Outside of this nothing to do really. He had a few through balls to deal with and his kicked was ok tonight. Made himself look big on the penalty and went the right way!


Baldock 7.5/10 – Thought he was excellent and all game got up and down. He won tackles, defended intelligently and showed he could get down the wing and is quick. He had been very good since he came in. Daft booking but felt he had been fouled so complained.


Stevens 7/10 – He too was good first half as he got on the ball and moved it forwards when he could. He defended ok when he had to but seemed to be almost exclusively in the Wolves half. He linked well when he could and then put a dream of a cross in for the goal. Came off at half time. Hope it is nothing major – did not seem to be as he was not limping or did not go down?


Carter Vickers 6/10 – Thought he was our weakest player tonight and he was not bad but made two mistakes, one when he slipped and they nearly got in first half and then the penalty. It seemed very soft but he put his arms onto him and gave him an excuse to go down. Outside of this he was a bit slow at times to react to things but then put a great ball in for Clarke on the sending off and used the ball ok. He won headers and defended alright but can’t make mistakes like he did as they could have been costly.


Wright 7/10 – Solid enough. Wolves did not really attack much first half so it was quite easy for him. He just did the basics and swept up. Looked annoyed to come off but you can see why we made the change as we had got penned in a bit and needed to move the team up and Duffy helps with that.


O’Connell 7.5/10 – Thought he was very good. Won headers and got first to the ball. Made some good clearances and read the game well too. He is becoming a very consistent and assured defender. He also got on it and came down the left well using the ball when he could and seemed to be another attacked quite a bit.


Basham 7/10 – Solid if not spectacular. Broke things up and won the bits and pieces. On the ball at times he is a bit clumsy but he was also involved in some of the good stuff too when we had it. He always shows for the ball and makes a number of runs, often down the right wing and linked well with Baldock. Just a solid pro who does not seem to let us down wherever he plays.


Fleck 8/10 – Thought he was excellent tonight. He won so many loose balls, got stuck in and won tackles. He used it well when he could and covered a lot of ground. He started season a bit slow but has been excellent last 4 or 5 games I have seen him play. He seems to be everywhere and does the defensive stuff as well as moving it forward and showing his skill in passing and also dribbling.


Coutts 7.5/10 – As above. Another very good game. He used it well bringing it out from the back and seemed to be the one starting most of our attacks. Saw so much of the ball and moved it left and right, short and long. He is a clever player who can ghost away from others at ease and linked well with teammates. He did give it away a few times sloppily second half and a daft yellow card.


Brooks 7/10 – Not quite at level of Sunday but he showed real flashes still. One great run at the defence nearly made a chance for Fleck. He played it in little pockets and triangles near the corner flags and helped us keep it well. Kept it simpler and at times they had 2 or 3 on him. He did run at them a few times and the ref missed one bad foul on him. Managed to nut meg the lad Neves first half and then did someone else second half near the South Stand/Kop corner. Things did not always come off for him tonight but he is a lovely footballer to watch and even when a bit quieter he takes men away. He is much quicker than you think and once he gets going really can stretch his legs.


Clarke 8/10 – Led line superbly and won the red card, held it up, ragged the defenders about and generally causes problems with his movement. He took both goals really well and could have had a few more. He has been excellent the last few games and a real surprise giving us that focal point up top and someone who can play the ball off and link with others. He has put a real shift in too and never seen so much effort than recent games. Long may it continue as with Donaldson and Sharp waiting in the wings, he has to keep it going.



Subs:


Lafferty 7/10 – Fine. I worry about his lack of pace but he was solid and did not do a lot wrong when he came on. Just defended sensibly and kept it simple when he had it. Not at level of Stevens but a decent fill in.


Duffy – Made the second with a great ball and just did the simple things as we saw out time. He should have scored a goal though missing from right in front of goal after good work from initially.


Manager: Wilder 8.5/10 – Kept the same team and it worked with the momentum from Sunday carrying on. Team played well, showed good hunger and did not let standards drop. He made another change with Duffy that contributed to the second but also helped us move out more as we did not need 3 defenders. Everything he does seems to be coming off at the moment. Long may it continue. He is doing an amazing job. I never felt we would be anywhere near the top and would have settled for anything around mid-way to 15th/16th at this stage. He is determined not to settle for a mediocre/consolidation season if possible and wants to drive us on. It is early but be interested what happens in a few months in January if we are around the top 6 still.


Officials – Ref got the red card right and most of the yellows. I thought the spot kick was soft and seeing it back still feel that way. He went through a spell of not giving us much second half but overall, he reffed it ok. The main gripe I had was the awful assistant referees he had ‘helping’ him. They did not give a decision all night waiting for him on throw in awards and then missing some quite frankly dreadful foul throws (ref gave one in the end). Some of them were awful as the player seemingly did not know how to take a throw. They were embarrassing.


Crowd – Great ovation as they came on after Sunday and this carried on right to the end. The fans appreciated more great efforts with key men from Sunday Clarke and then Duffy getting great cheers when their names were announced. The latter got a huge cheer when he came on and the former the same when coming off after another two goals. Wolves travelled in numbers with over 2,000 on a wet Wednesday night really impressive. Thought they kept with the side considering the score and gave them a good hand at the end when they could have been a bit critical but understood they had ten men and also, they had been beaten by a good side. Heard one Wolves fan say we won’t be up there and they have to beat sides like that. Keep these comments coming as quite like us being under the radar. We know we are a really good side and that is all that matters. I am at Forest so report to come Saturday night/Sunday morning depending on my state of inebriation! UTB

Cheers DB great report from our resident journo , I'm away & missed game but got a proper feel for game .. top stuff keep up the good work

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Sorry there's an echo on Turkish wifi ?

 

[DifferentClass]

Sorry there's an echo on Turkish wifi ?

Better ask Kazarre to get it sorted

 

[Grizzly blade]

Pretty much as I saw it too.
Bit harsh of CCV perhaps, he did make a couple of errors granted, but on other occasions defended superbly. He really is a beast of a lad. And the ball to Clarke was top notch.

Same for Enda...or Edna it seems in the press. He didn’t have to defend so much, but that ball for the goal really was inch perfect, at pace and along the ground. Impossible to defend. A foot either way of it’s trajectory and it’s in the keepers arms of cleared by a defender. Worth an 8 on that ball alone.

We needed to score when we did, if not I was concerned we would lose patience and run out of ideas as we have seen in the past.
As for Brooks, it’s quite incredible that a lad so young with so little experience has expressed himself and done what he has. Maybe a bit early to say, and may get shot down in flames here, but he could be as good as some of the best we have seen. His ability to beat players is a real asset that is often lost in the passing game of today.

If this carries on, we could well be fending off some seriously big bids from premier league sides come January.

 

[LSF]

I must have missed Lafferty's entrance?
Could have sworn Ched was out there though

 

[DazBlade88]

I must have missed Lafferty's entrance?
Could have sworn Ched was out there though

Lafferty came on at half time?

 

[pommpey]

Cheers Deadbat.

pommpey

 

[Dkc]

Ched gets a 7 from me, decent 15 mins. Cheers as ever for the report DB

 

[Grecian2000]

With numerous other big money players all over the park and after a good start, it reckoned to be a tough test for Wilder’s men.

One day it'll get to the point when the quality of the opposition will be measured by how good a team they are and NOT by the ridiculous sums some knobheads have decided they are prepared to pay for them.

Wolves seemed to be set up as a bog standard Div2 side, technical, a bit negative, waiting for a break. Doesn't seem to work if we're on our game.

 

[Harrisblade]

Sorry there's an echo on Turkish wifi ?

Thanks for letting us all know you're in Turkey!

 

[LSF]

Lafferty came on at half time?

Jesus! I obviously missed that as last night I had a rare corporate view from the directors box. Just kicked off for second half as I emerged back to my seat so missed subs.
As Lafferty was over far side my eyesight these days sadly lacking...
What a plonker!

 

[Stretch]

Cheers Deadbat

Another great report!

 

[Woodwardfan]

Well we are running out of superlatives for Deadbat and Wilder. In the bad old days I thought Deadbat was slightly negative and even depressed, though I stuck up for him plenty of times Anyway he now shows he can enjoy himself and who can't these days.

Vickers is the only player who worries me at present. I am one of Wright's biggest fans and hate to see him substituted, certainly it was hard on him two games running. Maybe Wilder was resting him last night or probably he thinks central defender of the three suits Vickers more and he's looking to fully integrate the lad and test him at the same time. Whichever, I suspect Stearman will soon replace Wright in the starting line up and that worries me too. O'Connell and Basham play better at the back when Wright is there.

Duffy as a sub is almost unplayable when opposition legs are tired. Brooks is simply brilliant and I hope he sustains that panache and ambition even when he is going through a lean spell or when results are proving more difficult. O'Connell is king of defenders. Baldock has made such a positive start to his S2 career. Pleased for Stevens to provide that excellent assist and he needed it I think. Defensively those two wing backs are marvellous. Coutts and Fleck super though I wish Coutts would stop demanding involvement in just a few moves and let it flow more. Basham out of position in midfield when we are on top, great in a battle like Hillsborough though. I always backed Clarke to succeed and hope he has now won over our fans. Billy Sharp will be an effective sub when he's fully fit!!??

Felt sorry for their penalty taker as he had an age to sense the size and confidence of Blackman who stood arms aloft stretching his yellow gloved fingers at him. He must seem to obliterate the goal when you stand there 12 yards away!

I thought the referee was excellent and I am happy to make allowance for the soft penalty though Vickers should never have invited any such decision.

Who replaces Coutts at the weekend? I hope it's Duffy and I sense Donaldson will play if fit as Brooks might be due a rest and should be nursed through the next couple of months. I think the Clarke/ Donaldson partnership could have a big future too. I suggest Sharp should be used in bursts but assume Wilder will retain his loyalty to him and Clarke may be benched unless he scores two a game consistently! As long as we play one of either Donaldson or Brooks with a.n.other I don't mind. Pace makes life so much easier for our midfielders and now we have it we can be more direct and mix up the speed of the moves forward.

 

[TrowbridgeBlade]

Excellent read, always look forward to seeing your report!

 

[Chapel Allerton]

I can only see 4 yellows for Coutts? Fleck is also on 4.

 

[I should coco]

Good report and as I thought our first half was even better than Sunday, then i have to say that some of your marks look a bit miserly. You could have stuck another mark on about 7 or 8 players and that would be more like it for me.

Was the Baldock booking for complaining as we thought it was for a theatrical dive? Mind you we are 150 yards away well up the Kop.

Also a bit odd with the airbrushing out of Ched - are you Jean Hackett in disguise?. Despite the need for the op, I thought he looked really up for it and the tussle that ended up with their lad in the advertising hoarding, summed up his drive.

Thanks again for the report.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Thanks for letting us all know you're in Turkey!

It's a dirty job but someone's gotta coin it HB

 

[Rusty view]

Good report. Sat in Westfield corner virtually bang behind ccv challenge. Thought it was a pen all day long. Pulled the lad back when he'd got round him.

Irrelevant anyhow as they missed it.

 

[cahill]

I must have missed Lafferty's entrance?
Could have sworn Ched was out there though

How could you miss his pink boots ?

 

[LSF]

How could you miss his pink boots ?

Colour blind

 

[cahill]

Good report and as I thought our first half was even better than Sunday, then i have to say that some of your marks look a bit miserly. You could have stuck another mark on about 7 or 8 players and that would be more like it for me.

Was the Baldock booking for complaining as we thought it was for a theatrical dive? Mind you we are 150 yards away well up the Kop.

Also a bit odd with the airbrushing out of Ched - are you Jean Hackett in disguise?. Despite the need for the op, I thought he looked really up for it and the tussle that ended up with their lad in the advertising hoarding, summed up his drive.

Thanks again for the report.

Baldock clearly reacted badly to not being given a free kick, he was a bit dramatic actually, I was stood at the back of the kop and saw it clearly through my NHS glasses.

 

[Deadbat]

Forget Evans. Doh. He did well. Ran around and pressed. He really harried well. Sorry not sure why I forgot him as alluded to him in the report.

Good report and as I thought our first half was even better than Sunday, then i have to say that some of your marks look a bit miserly. You could have stuck another mark on about 7 or 8 players and that would be more like it for me.

Was the Baldock booking for complaining as we thought it was for a theatrical dive? Mind you we are 150 yards away well up the Kop.

Also a bit odd with the airbrushing out of Ched - are you Jean Hackett in disguise?. Despite the need for the op, I thought he looked really up for it and the tussle that ended up with their lad in the advertising hoarding, summed up his drive.

Thanks again for the report.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Pretty much as I saw it too.
Bit harsh of CCV perhaps, he did make a couple of errors granted, but on other occasions defended superbly. He really is a beast of a lad. And the ball to Clarke was top notch.

Same for Enda...or Edna it seems in the press. He didn’t have to defend so much, but that ball for the goal really was inch perfect, at pace and along the ground. Impossible to defend. A foot either way of it’s trajectory and it’s in the keepers arms of cleared by a defender. Worth an 8 on that ball alone.

We needed to score when we did, if not I was concerned we would lose patience and run out of ideas as we have seen in the past.
As for Brooks, it’s quite incredible that a lad so young with so little experience has expressed himself and done what he has. Maybe a bit early to say, and may get shot down in flames here, but he could be as good as some of the best we have seen. His ability to beat players is a real asset that is often lost in the passing game of today.

If this carries on, we could well be fending off some seriously big bids from premier league sides come January.

And if that was a penalty given away by CCV then lets just make it a non contact sport, never in a million years was that even close to being a penalty. Absolutely agree about the young lads performance Grizzly.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Well we are running out of superlatives for Deadbat and Wilder. In the bad old days I thought Deadbat was slightly negative and even depressed, though I stuck up for him plenty of times Anyway he now shows he can enjoy himself and who can't these days.

Vickers is the only player who worries me at present. I am one of Wright's biggest fans and hate to see him substituted, certainly it was hard on him two games running. Maybe Wilder was resting him last night or probably he thinks central defender of the three suits Vickers more and he's looking to fully integrate the lad and test him at the same time. Whichever, I suspect Stearman will soon replace Wright in the starting line up and that worries me too. O'Connell and Basham play better at the back when Wright is there.

Duffy as a sub is almost unplayable when opposition legs are tired. Brooks is simply brilliant and I hope he sustains that panache and ambition even when he is going through a lean spell or when results are proving more difficult. O'Connell is king of defenders. Baldock has made such a positive start to his S2 career. Pleased for Stevens to provide that excellent assist and he needed it I think. Defensively those two wing backs are marvellous. Coutts and Fleck super though I wish Coutts would stop demanding involvement in just a few moves and let it flow more. Basham out of position in midfield when we are on top, great in a battle like Hillsborough though. I always backed Clarke to succeed and hope he has now won over our fans. Billy Sharp will be an effective sub when he's fully fit!!??

Felt sorry for their penalty taker as he had an age to sense the size and confidence of Blackman who stood arms aloft stretching his yellow gloved fingers at him. He must seem to obliterate the goal when you stand there 12 yards away!

I thought the referee was excellent and I am happy to make allowance for the soft penalty though Vickers should never have invited any such decision.

Who replaces Coutts at the weekend? I hope it's Duffy and I sense Donaldson will play if fit as Brooks might be due a rest and should be nursed through the next couple of months. I think the Clarke/ Donaldson partnership could have a big future too. I suggest Sharp should be used in bursts but assume Wilder will retain his loyalty to him and Clarke may be benched unless he scores two a game consistently! As long as we play one of either Donaldson or Brooks with a.n.other I don't mind. Pace makes life so much easier for our midfielders and now we have it we can be more direct and mix up the speed of the moves forward.

Why does CCV worry you Woody ? I thought after his early slip up he had a really good game.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Why does CCV worry you Woody ? I thought after his early slip up he had a really good game.

That early slip and the silly penalty and I agree with DB's rating and review of his performance.

In the highlights at Bolton he missed out on various headers although Madine etc are good in the air and he scored a great reaction goal.

At Hillsborough for their equaliser I thought he lost his man Joao and then lost his balance as the ball came across thus leaving the scorer in yards of space ( 2 minutes after Wright went off).

However he is only 18 years old though that's hard to believe looking at him !!Early days for him and no doubt loads of upside over the rest of the season.

If we were a mid-table side I'd be less worried - but we are not!!

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

That early slip and the silly penalty and I agree with DB's rating and review of his performance.

In the highlights at Bolton he missed out on various headers although Madine etc are good in the air and he scored a great reaction goal.

At Hillsborough for their equaliser I thought he lost his man Joao and then lost his balance as the ball came across thus leaving the scorer in yards of space ( 2 minutes after Wright went off).

However he is only 18 years old though that's hard to believe looking at him !!Early days for him and no doubt loads of upside over the rest of the season.

If we were a mid-table side I'd be less worried - but we are not!!

Fair dues Woody, however nobody can convince me that was a penalty, it was silly only in the fact that the ref gave it. Like you say he is young ,learning and to be fair wouldn't be starting if Stearman was fit, but plenty more performances from him like last night and I will be happy

 

[Grizzly blade]

That early slip and the silly penalty and I agree with DB's rating and review of his performance.

In the highlights at Bolton he missed out on various headers although Madine etc are good in the air and he scored a great reaction goal.

At Hillsborough for their equaliser I thought he lost his man Joao and then lost his balance as the ball came across thus leaving the scorer in yards of space ( 2 minutes after Wright went off).

However he is only 18 years old though that's hard to believe looking at him !!Early days for him and no doubt loads of upside over the rest of the season.

If we were a mid-table side I'd be less worried - but we are not!!

Plenty of examples of players losing their man mate. I don’t think he’s any worse than anyone else. Bash did it in first half at a corner and the ball bounced in the box as Van Aken seemed to run past it,but we got away with it. For their equaliser he ran a bit too deep and had his body position wrong too as the ball came in, so he couldn’t intercept the pass. But there was plenty of points where we could have defended it better prior to that.
For the few errors he made, there were lots of good interceptions, or headers and simply using his strength to diffuse a situation.
Besides, the pass that led to them being down to 10 was top class last night. And agree he’s a big strong boy for his age. We have to let him learn, because the benefits he could bring later will outweigh the mistakes he’s makes now.