Steve's Sunday Summary - Week 5

Not sure if its week 5 or week 6 after the international break, not that it really matters!

I was on for my first correct prediction at ten to five until Will Miller popped up to leave me bottom of the league. More than happy to keep hold of the wooden spoon in the circumstances.

Already up to two away days (three if you count Chester pre-season) and surely the most intimidating atmosphere that I have experienced in my admittedly limited travels. Seated almost at pitch level with stands towering over me on all four sides it needed cool heads and nerves of steel. Thankfully we had an abundance and, for once, had a referee with a similar constitution.

I was reading the write up in the Wolverhampton Star & Echo and I think their writer summed it up well. Wolves had the better players, but we had the better team.

Heroes? John Brayford. Magnificent all afternoon, but that injury time tackle that not only won the ball but launched another attack was worth MOTM on its own.
McFadzean and Turner. Not only using their heads to win every challenge, but using them to play the ball to a blue shirt and resist the temptation to aim for Row Z, though the latter policy would have been useful ahead of their goal. Ben's fourth yellow might be Moose's only way back in.
Matty Palmer. How long before we have to start worrying about predators ahead of the next transfer window?
Chris O'Grady. Another massive shift from the big man. We will miss him against Brighton as I assume his loan makes him ineligible.
And the subs.. All three ultimately spot on. Hamza added bite at a time when Tom Naylor was limited by a yellow. Moving Tom to the right wasn't working so Marcus Harness was the right option, proven when he skipped past Borthwick-Jackson (who made a number of starts for Manchester United last term) before setting up the equaliser, finished by Will Miller. Have to say I was feeling for Stuart Beavon at the time but you cannot argue in the hindsight of the goal.
Gripe of the week? The inability of the Wolves lads to stay on their feet! So many times a 'tackle', which unless someone can tell me otherwise is still a legitimate way of winning possession, was met with a scream and a roll and an appeal for a free kick and a card.
Helgar Costa made a meal of a number of first half challenges so whilst I was too far away to be sure about his booking it was no surprise that the ref called it.
The second I was too far away from and instinctively feared a second yellow for Ben, but talking to a Wolves fan after the game, who was only yards from the incident, he was sporting enough to confirm that the ref was spot on.
Some talk in the papers today that the pen should have been re-taken for encroaching but I'm not sure I would have felt comfortable about that, given the nature of the miss. Usually deadly from the spot, but the less said the better on this occasion, perhaps.
Great to be back to it after the internationals, and already only 48 hours from Craven Cottage, though I won't be adding to my travels just yet.
At least the break allowed some additions to my 'Brewers on the Box' spotting with Zander Diamond featuring for Northampton as they beat MK Dons and Mark Duffy contributing to Sheffield United's win at Gillingham.
A couple of near misses with Chris Hussey an unused sub for the Blades in the same game and Jerome Binnom-Williams warming the bench for Peterborough in their draw with Swindon.
Only counting the games I actually get to see at least a part of, so do feel free to chip in if you spot any in games that I don't see, which, contrary to my wife's opinion, is quite a few!
Onwards and upwards to Fulham then.Memories of our League Cup encounter of not so long ago. 2-1 up approaching the end of extra time. What looked like a "worldy" from Jimmy Phillips to finish them off but drew a "worldy save" before a late late equaliser. Then penalties. 4-4, one to go, and you see John Arne Riise striding forward. Now he was a penalty taker!