NIGEL Pearson is no
stranger to the Black
Country.
He impressed ten miles down the
road from Molineux as caretaker
manager of Wolves' great rivals
West Bromwich Albion following
the sacking of his former
Middlesbrough boss Bryan Robson
at the Hawthorns 18 months ago.
So that will have made gaining
such a dramatic point on his return
to these parts as a fully-fledged
Championship manager even more
satisfying.
History was on his side - Saints
have not lost in six visits to
Molineux since the winter of 1979.
But this match was never going to
be a repeat of the 6-0 and 4-1 wins of
recent years and, sure enough, two
poor sides drew a first-half blank.
After an immaculate minute's
silence for former Wolves scout
Carl Hoddle - the brother of ex-
Saints and Wolves boss Glenn died
of a heart attack aged 40 at the
weekend - neither side forced
either keeper into a save of note.
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Kelvin Davis created problems
when he came for a right-flank free
kick he had no chance of collecting.
And Wolves defender Gary Breen
was relieved not to be sent off
when, as the last defender, he
upended Stern John.
The chances that were created
were wasted and both sides were
culpable.
Wolves midfielder Dave Edwards
failed to deliver a quality final ball
when Sylvan Ebanks-Blake was
screaming for the ball on the edge
of Davis's six-yard box.
And after running at the Wolves
defence, John blazed wide.
When Jhon Viafara attempted to
chip Hennessey from 40 yards in
first-half injury time, only to slice
the ball into touch, the lack of quality
plumbed new depths.
Not until the 57th minute was
there a shot on target.
After replacing Davis after
Saints' No 1 suffered a dead leg and
a dislocated finger, sub goalkeeper
Michael Poke, making his senior
Saints debut, dived low to his right
to clutch Ebanks-Blake's effort.
The Wolves faithful responded
with sarcastic cheers and chants of
we've had a shot on goal' .
Kevin Kyle could only find Poke's
side netting before being hauled
off, but the match opened up after
Wolves' double substitution on the
hour.
Within a minute, Ebanks-Blake
turned Andrew Davies one way and
then the other before giving Wolves
the lead by slamming past Poke.
After David McGoldrick had been
brought on as a 63rd-minute substitute,
the match reached a crescendo.
Viafara tested Wayne Hennessey
for the first time with a snap shot
that was turned behind for a Saints
corner.
And ten minutes after coming off
the bench, McGoldrick won a controversial
penalty.
Right-back Kevin Foley was shepherding
the Saints youngster on
the edge of Hennessey's area when
McGoldrick appeared to fall
unchallenged.
Saints are laying the most solid of foundations under Nigel Pearson. They are becoming hard to beat and from that base the wins will surely come.
Simon Walter
Referee Colin Webster had no hesitation
in pointing to the spot and
after a two-minute delay while
McGoldrick received treatment,
Gregory Vignal stepped up to bury
the most emphatic of penalties
inside Hennessey's left-hand
upright.
By netting his second spot kick in
as many away games, Vignal has
established himself as Saints' manto-
turn-to from 12 yards.
But seven minutes later, having
only just been booked for shirtpulling,
the former Liverpool and
Portsmouth left-back was handed
a straight red card for appearing
to react to a shove by kicking out
at Ebanks-Blake on the touchline
adjacent to the Steve Bull Stand
accommodating the Saints fans.
Webster gave Vignal his marching
orders after being alerted to
the incident by the linesman on
the far side.
After Vignal had strolled across
the pitch back to the Saints dug
out, Wolves capitalised on their
numerical advantage when
Ebanks-Blake hooked in his second.
Substitute Andy Keogh headed
left-back George Elokobi's cross
back across goal and, with Davies
spreadeagled on the edge of the
six-yard box, Ebanks-Blake netted
his fifth in the Championship
since his January move from
Plymouth Argyle.
Saints' hopes of a point
appeared to be over when
McGoldrick fired over the bar .
But, in the fourth minute of
injury time, Jason Euell - a first
half sub for the injured Inigo
Idiakez - arrived in the penalty
area unmarked to head in Mario
Licka's corner.
It was a dramatic end to a game
that improved as it went on.
Euell has had to watch the last
two matches from the substitutes'
bench but got his chance when
Idiakez limped off after half an
hour before displaying the Dell
spirit that has been the hallmark
of Pearson's first four games in
charge.
Euell let out the frustrations of
Saints' season with his ecstatic
celebrations by the corner flag.
Saints may still be looking for
their first win under Pearson,
who covered very blade of glass
in his technical area last night.
But the glass is half full as far
as the new manager is concerned.
That's three matches unbeaten -
and counting...
Daily Echo Man of the Match: Wayne Thomas On this evidence it will be
difficult for loan defender
Ian Pearce to get back in.
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