Wolves Report

By: Jeremy Baily
Date: 21/11/2000

Wolves with only their fourth league win of the season beat Grimsby 2-0. Two first-half goals ended Grimsby's hopes of getting at least a point from this game and were beaten by the same scoreline as at Molineux earlier this season in the Worthington Cup

Scorers Dinning (6) Ndah (45)

First Half

On a dark, wet and cold evening, Town warmed up by holding hands and doing little pousettes, as in folk dancing. Only joking missed all that, still in the pub!

Once I had got my proboscis out of the beer, I rushed up to the stadium, met Kirky outside and was given a free ticket.

Toilet talk was all about road accident blocking the Wolves ring road and a Virgin train blocking Wolves station.

The pitch looked good, but was sodden, it rained from 3 O'clock, all afternoon and right through the game, Wolves used to wet the pitch for an advantage years ago, it helped them tonight as well.

100 Town fans saw the lineup:

Grimsby Town (4-4-2): Coyne, Handyside, McDermott, Fostervold, Livingstone, Campbell, Smith, Groves, Donovan, Neilson, Murray
Subs: Croudson, Bloomer, Burnett, Coldicott, Clare

Wolves (4-4-2): Oakes, Bazeley, Butler, Emblen, Muscat, Pollet, Naylor, Dinning, Robinson, Osborn, Ndah
Subs: Stowell, Camara, Proudlock, Sinton, Branch

The plan was to play three at the back, Fostervold, Groves and Handyside with D Smith and Macca as wingback cum hide-away as much as possible. Midfield was the lightweight three of Campbell, Donovan and Murray, which leaves Livvo and Nielson as attackers.

After only 5 mins the plan was in tatters, (and it never recovered) a ball is played down our right where Macca normally stands and where Handyside wasn't, it was chased down by Naylor, he controls the ball and plays a lovelly center along our penalty box line, apart from Coyne, I am the nearest bloke in a Town shirt (row Q seat 36) to Dinning, who calmly puts the ball into our net.

Just one simple ball over midfield and a chasm larger than the Grand Canyon opened up, it was so unreal, how do you spell Requiem?

Not even a dodgy haircut to mention.

KPnut and Fostervold looks like Coldicotts big brother, same hair-do as well. He started well, he met a ball with his head that went like a bullet, he couldn't have hit it harder if he had been wearing Ned Kelly's helmet. Match fitness however did for him and at times he looked lost.

Murray tried but wasn't strong enough, Donovan was invisible and Campbell ran his legs off, but all for nothing. Wolves just allowed us to play in our own half and then just eased us off the ball and mounted their attacks. The ball would not stick to either Livvo or Nielson, who's first touch is always to hurried, he tries to beat the defender before he has control of the ball, his first touch was normally his last one too.

We had one promising move down the right after about 20 mins, involving Macca and Nielson, who was upended, the free kick came to nothing, Oh, we also had one corner in the first half.

Wolves were no better than us really, except they seemed to have more time on the ball. This was not your normal Wolves at home match, they were there for the taking, but we were unable to get going at all, the game was being played in an almost surreal silence, very strange. Even Muscat the 'proflifigrating dingo' didn't appear to be his normal evil, vulpine self.

Dinning almost scored again after about 30 mins, again all alone on the edge of our box and with our defence absent without leave he aimed a shot towards Coynes right hand bottom corner, wrong footed and traveling the incorrect way, Coyne does the splits and the studs of his right boot deflect the ball wide, he did very well because it was going in, no corner is given, much to our pleasure.

With no minutes to go before half-time, we gift Wolves goal number two, a harmless cross is knocked back across our six yard line by our very own Murray (I think) the unmarked Ndah say's thank you very much and just nodded the ball over the line, it was hooked back out by Macca, but it was about 3 foot over when he got to it.

The 100 (fool)hardy fans roared their disapproval. At 1-0 we maybe had a chance, but 2-0, well you know!

1st half stats:

Wolves, 2 goals and 6 corners, lots of centres and shots, both on target and off.

Town, No goals and 1 corner, no centres and no shots, on target or off.

The report continues in the 2nd half

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