[Archived] News Article -> 2011/12 Match Report: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 Rovers 2

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Wolverhampton Wanderers	(0) 0 – 2 (1)	Blackburn Rovers
		Junior Hoilett 43, 69
Referee: C. Foy		Attendance: 26,121

From the giddy heights of fifth from bottom it's amazing how different the relegation battle suddenly looks. Could the worst Rovers side to grace the top-flight of football actually escape the dreaded drop? On the evidence of this performance it certainly looks possible. As Rovers fans left the ground celebrating a vital victory, a number of the home supporters were gathering to protest about the actions of their own ownership model. Whilst Steve Morgan still has some way to go to match the levels of incompetence displayed by Venky's, there is no doubt that his decision to sack Mick McCarthy and replace him with Terry Connor might well be an important factor in keeping the Rovers in the Premier League. Quite simply Wolves, who have won only one of their past fourteen Premier League matches, looked like a side whose confidence and hope seem to have been completely destroyed by the spectre of relegation.

However, the fact that Wolves were totally inept should take nothing away from a very professional performance by the Rovers. With Bradley Orr injured and Radosav Petrovic dropped to the bench, Steve Kean restored Jason Lowe to full-back, after his recent suspension, while Marcus Olsson was asked to continue his left-wing partnership with brother Martin. Gael Givet, who also returned after suspension, had to settle for a place on the bench as Kean opted to continue with the Grant Hanley–Scott Dann partnership in the centre of defence.

The opening period was the nervy affair that many predicted. News that Bolton had beaten QPR in the early kick-off did little to settle the nerves of both sets of supporters. An early Morten Gamst Pedersen corner was cleared, while Wolves responded with two corners of their own which also came to nothing.

During a scrappy first half, both sides enjoyed spells of possession and pressure but neither managed to create a clear-cut opportunity in front of goal. The Rovers' best efforts came from Yakubu, who fired over, had a shot saved by Wayne Hennessy – although in all fairness the Yak didn't make proper contact with the ball and the young Welsh 'keeper had little trouble in making the save – and then headed wide under pressure from Sebastien Bassong. As the half moved into the final five minutes, the Yak fired narrowly over the angle of crossbar and post.

The home side, despite periods of possession, rarely threatened Paul Robinson. Indeed, their best chance came when David Edwards cut the ball back from the byline and after it travelled through the legs of Hanley it struck Matt Jarvis and flew wide with the Wolves man knowing very little about it.

As the half drew to a close, the Rovers looked increasingly comfortable and when Junior Hoilett gave the Rovers the lead on 43 minutes, it was no more than they deserved. A long throw from Pedersen wasn't cleared by debutant David Davis and the ball fell kindly to Hoilett, who produced a deadly strike from around the penalty spot. The finish was a moment of class that had been absent for much of the opening forty-five minutes. Hoilett, who had been operating in the free role behind Yakubu, enjoyed an impressive half and always looked like the player who would make something happen.

The first chance of the second half fell to Steve Fletcher, but unlike Hoilett from a similar range the former Claret couldn't get enough power into his shot and Robinson collected with little difficulty.

After this early scare, the match settled into the same pattern which had been seen during much of the first half. For once, the Rovers were able to defend from the front with Yakubu and Hoilett harrying the home centre-backs, while Mauro Formica and Marcus Olsson worked hard to deny Wolves too much space down the flanks. With Steven Nzonzi and Pedersen controlling the centre of the field, the Rovers looked a fairly solid outfit. Furthermore, with the pace of the Olsson twins and Hoilett, the Rovers always carried a threat on the break.

On 69 minutes the Rovers grabbed the second goal that their play so richly deserved. Winning possession on the edge of their own area, the Rovers worked the ball downfield via Marcus Olsson and Nzonzi to Yakubu. The Nigerian striker took the ball down the left wing before slipping it inside to the advancing Hoilett. The young Canadian controlled the ball in an instant and then lashed a left-foot shot into the back of the net from outside of the penalty area.

The Rovers now settled down to play some of their best football of the season as an increasingly beleaguered Wolves outfit looked thoroughly dispirited. A Pedersen corner caused more mayhem in the Wolves goalmouth and resulted in Formica having an acrobatic effort saved by Hennessey. With the fans on their backs and the players looking devoid of confidence, Connor tried to inject new life into his side with the introduction of Milijas and Ebanks-Blake. However, the Rovers continued to remain in control, although the final few minutes became somewhat jittery as Steve Kean's side began to sit back and settle for what they had. Robinson parried a decent effort from O'Hara and Milijas headed over when he might have done better. Robinson was again forced to make a decent save from Fletcher, while the defenders were able to block a shot from Ebanks-Blake.

As the Rovers fans savoured the impending victory, the stands emptied as the Wolves fans looked to make an early exit. Indeed, the final whistle was greeted with the unusual sight of Rovers fans celebrating an all-too-rare away win and an even rarer clean sheet while opposition fans left in a disgruntled mood to begin their protests.

Whilst one win doesn't erase the crass incompetence of Venky's and Kean over the course of the season, it does suggest that the players still believe that survival is possible. Today there wasn't a weak link in the side and for once Kean not only got his selections correct, but he was also spot-on with his tactics.

Defensively the Rovers looked surprisingly solid. At long last we denied the opposition time and space to exploit us down the flanks. Mauro Formica and Marcus Olsson worked tirelessly up and down the wings, posing a threat when going forwards and covering the full-backs when defending. Hanley and Dann formed an impressive partnership in the middle with Hanley simply outstanding, while Dann, who I have been highly critical of, had his best game thus far for the club.

Steven Nzonzi was a colossus in the centre of midfield. Always available, he kept the play flowing with a series of short passes that enabled the Rovers to retain possession until an opening could be created. Defensively he won more than his fair share of headers whilst his tackling was as robust as ever. Alongside him Pedersen had one of his better games until he was wisely withdrawn as he had already been booked and clearly Kean didn't want to risk losing him for future matches.

Hoilett revelled in the free role and created untold problems for the home defence. On this sort of form he is virtually unplayable when running at the opposition. If only he could maintain this sort of form on a more consistent basis, he would surely be a target for the top clubs. Clearly there is an incentive for him to deliver on a more regular basis to not only aid the Rovers but also his own career.

Although Yakubu had one of his quieter games, his strength enables him to retain possession when playing as the lone front man and he is able to feed other players breaking from midfield. It's vital that the Rovers are able to keep him fit over the final two months of the season as we don't have another player who can fulfil this role as effectively as the Yak.

It would be remiss to end this report without a word of praise for Steve Kean. Like the majority of supporters, I have been highly critical of the man and still believe he is not the man to take the club forward. However, there can be no denying that today he got his decision-making correct in terms of team selection and tactics and for that he deserves credit.

With ten games remaining, the Rovers have a realistic chance of surviving, which, considering the appalling home form, is little short of a miracle. In any other season I suspect the club would have been dead and buried at this point, but the fact is that there are four other clubs who would appear to be every bit as inept as ourselves. Indeed, Wolves today, at least on the pitch, looked to be in a far worse state than the Rovers. A point a game over the remaining games would take us to 35 points and, combined with a decent goal difference, that might well be enough to survive. As I said at the beginning, the view on the relegation battle changes on a weekly basis and looking down from our lofty position, even if we are only three points away from the drop zone, the situation suddenly looks a little more promising.

Teams

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wayne Hennessey; Ronald Zubar, Richard Stearman, Sebastien Bassong, Stephen Ward; Kevin Doyle (Sylvan Ebanks-Blake 82), David Davis (Nenad Milijas 75), David Edwards (Michael Kightly 60), Jamie O'Mara, Matthew Jarvis; Steven Fletcher
Subs not used: Dorus De Vries (gk), Roger Johnson, Christophe Berra, Kevin Foley
Manager: Terry Connor

Blackburn Rovers

Paul Robinson; Jason Lowe, Scott Dann, Grant Hanley, Martin Olsson; Mauro Formica, Steven Nzonzi, Morten Gamst Pedersen (David Dunn 75), Marcus Olsson; David "Junior" Hoilett; Yakubu
Subs not used: Mark Bunn (gk), Gael Givet, Radosav Petrovic, Simon Vukcevic, David Goodwillie, Anthony Modeste
Manager: Steve Kean

Bookings

Wolverhampton Wanderers – Steve Fletcher

Blackburn Rovers – Morten Gamst Pedersen, Grant Hanley


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