Hard work and endeavour break down a well organised Wolves side and allow City to finish easy winners as the Tiger play-off push recommences in earnest.

Report by Mike Scott.

A second home game in a row where a committed City side worked hard to close down and impose themselves on the opposition and reap the rewards as the away team capitulated under the onslaught. First Leicester, now Wolverhampton. And a third consecutive game in which Caleb Folan took my man of the match vote thanks to his tremendous work rate and skilful touch, both of which scared the death out of Wolves’ limited back four. That Fraizer Campbell was also bang on form as Folan’s pacey plunder partner added more trouble to Mick McCarthy’s side.

That said, Wolves were a decent team and the first half was very even. It was only after they conceded a goal within 90 seconds of the restart that their resolve crumbled and their fragile confidence melted. They took a fairly comprehensive beating from there on in. McCarthy has assembled a squad of lower league tryers and the odd spattering of faded international quality – it is a side that will propel him up the division when results are going their way, but will wilt when the going gets tough, because that’s why these larkers were in the lower leagues in the first place. Wolverhampton Wanderers - perennially seventh.

On a cloudy yet mild Boxing Day ‘neath heavy cloud, the Police chopper and – later on – a gigantic air-sea rescue helicopter the Tigers lined up unchanged:

Myhill
Ricketts Turner Brown Dawson
Garcia Ashbee Livermore Hughes
Folan Campbell

Marney’s recovery from dodgy guts on Saturday only found him a berth on the bench, a place also graced with the presence of Hull heroes Nick Barmby and Dean Windass. A marvellously scary proposition for the away side. The away defence was further alarmed within a minute of the start as Campbell latched onto a nodded-on Myhill clearance and thudded a shot against the cross-bar, but he was being flagged offside as he struck the ball. Then Keogh struck a 30 yard effort over the bar after a chest-down by the largely feckless and sweat-free Bothroyd. Not two minutes gone and a decent chance for both sides, but the match settled into a rather more mundane pattern straight away after this initial excitement. Folan had a shot deflected up and into the keeper’s arms after Garcia had intercepted a clearance, while Eastwood headed down a clearance into Keogh’s path only for the former Leeds and Scunthorpe player (what a combination!) to shoot massively wide and high.

By now Folan’s hard work was evidently alarming the Wolves rearguard and their service to the front players was poor – Olofinjana swooped around pleasingly but often found Ashbee in his path, while Henry looked their best prospect of forward motion as he ran tirelessly to find space. On 22 Henry burst through a gap in City’s midfield and fed ex-Gill Jarvis on the right whose cross was whipped in viciously across the face of Myhill’s goal but just away from Wolves’ less than at full tilt front men.

On the half hour Hughes – excellent today and improving all the time, albeit from a low-ish base – won a corner that was taken short, allowing Livermore and Dawson to conjure a left foot cross from the byline that was headed home powerfully by the leaping Ashbee. Alas as Ash rose so did the linesman’s flag – the cross was launched from an offside position. A minute later Ricketts received the ball deep in Wolves territory and skipped past three half-hearted tackles to find himself in possession on the edge of the penalty box, but his low pass was steered behind, not into, Campbell sprint path. Maybe young Fraizer is still surprising his team-mates with his raw pace.

The half wound down with little incident, Eastwood drawing a low sprawling save from Myhill after being fed by Keogh and Olofinjana scudding a left foot shot wide of goal as he advanced to meet an Eastwood pass. 0-0 at half time and that was about right, I’d say.

Into the second half and an instant reward for City. A City throw on the right found Livermore and he dribbled across the edge of the 18 yard box before passing to Campbell on the left. Fraizer’s low cross found Garcia in considerable space – a matter that Mick McCarthy may well mention at length at training – and the recently be-fathered squeaky-voiced Aussie swept a low shot under keeper Hennessey and into the centre of the goal for 1-0. A bit of a surprise to be honest, but a welcome one.

This goal affected Wolves considerably and their defensive shape was lost as the back four became increasingly erratic. Elsewhere the initially peripheral Bothroyd became completely anonymous skulking on his left wing while Olofinjana ceded what control of the midfield he had to the harrying Ashbee and Livermore. What those two lack in flair (and let’s not forget that Livermore is capable of a good pass when required) they make up for in destruction and winning 50-50 balls. On 54 Ashbee dispossessed Olofinjana in one such tussle, which allowed Folan to run at the heart of the petrified Wolves defence before sliding the ball into the path of the advancing Ashbee who promptly suffered a footballing nose bleed and struck a weak shot at a defender’s outstretched leg.

As the game entered its last third City’s dominance grew as Campbell’s sheer pace allowed him to feed Ricketts deep in Wolves territory, only for the Welshman’s deep cross to nearly drop under the crossbar and into the goal – alas Hennessey clawed the ball away. Then seconds later Hughes and Dawson combined down the left to produce a cross that was headed at the keeper by the scantily marked (again) Garcia in the centre of the six yard box. The keeper’s parry was leapt upon by the advanced Campbell who clattered a low shot from a narrow angle that Hennessey could only shove into his own net. 2-0 and game over.

On 66 Campbell’s finest moment of the day, perhaps of his fledgling career, as he received a clearance with his back to goal on the half way line, shimmied to lose his marker, ran powerfully for 40 yards through three tackles then bludgeoned a shot that the keeper saved low to his left. It was reminiscent of Stan Collymore in his Nottingham Forest prime when he frightened defences up and down the land with his pacey and powerful running – this kid Campbell has it all, we simply must keep him on loan for the rest of the season in the expectation that he’ll be donning the Manchester United first XI colours by the time next Christmas comes around.

That was about it really. Bothroyd, lazy arsed get that he is, lumbered around some more and feigned a hamstring pull before realising that he wasn’t going to be replaced as McCarthy had already burnt his three changes. He struck a cheaply won free kick from a full 40 yards out straight into the back of team-mate Olofinjana’s head. That was the sum total of his afternoon’s efforts – a dizzy sensation for one of his colleagues. Barmby came on for Campbell amid rapturous applause, Marney came for Ashbee amid general amazement (the captain had taken a kick, we were later informed by the manager) and Windass came on for Folan amid gasps that the third minute of injury time would allow us to really see what a Windass-Barmby front pairing could do. Not much in 60 seconds, it transpired. Folan had one last chance before he went off as Barmby flicked on a Garcia cross but his effort was blocked by left back Collins.

What a fine performance! Not a footballing classic, but a hard working display that reaped its rewards. Once again a team that frightened City silly 3 years ago looked our inferiors today, a fact that brings forth much cheer and optimism as we enter a new year. Some sharp business in the January window will be required from the manager if we are to sustain this improvement in form – especially if Campbell is not able to see the season out in black and amber – but that is not beyond Phil Brown. City are a half decent team in a flat division, which might be enough to achieve something we’ve never achieved before. A play-off for a shot at the top division. Hells bells, let’s get cracking with 2008.

HULL CITY (4-4-2): Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Dawson; Garcia, Ashbee, Livermore, Hughes; Folan, Campbell.  Subs: Barmby (for Campbell, 79), Marney (for Ashbee, 84), Windass (for Folan, 89), Delaney, Duke.

Goals: Garcia 47; Campbell 61

Booked: None

Sent Off: None

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS: Hennessey, Foley, D Ward, Edwards, Collins, Jarvis, Olofinjana, Henry, Bothroyd, Keogh, Eastwood.  Subs: Elliott (for Jarvis, 67), S Ward (for Eastwood, 67), Gibson (for Olofinjana, 81), Gray, Ikeme.

Goals: None

Booked: Collins

Sent Off: None

REFEREE:  C Foy

ATTENDANCE: 19,127