Preston North End 1 Wolves 3

Sep 22 2008 By George Winbury

THERE’S surely only one thing that can stop Wolves getting promoted this season – the old Molineux failing of over-confidence.

On the park, on their day, even with less than a third of the Championship’s 23 other sides played, Mick McCarthy’s men seem too good for the rest.

Already this season, barring their first-day falterings at lowly Plymouth (and they should still have won that one!), they have had more than one good day, in fact several very good days.

With Michael Kightly on fire, Karl Henry bombing along in midfield, two hot strikers and a standard so high that Andy Keogh cannot even get in the starting line-up, some of the football they have been playing has been breathtaking.

But, even when they were in full flow like they were at Deepdale on Saturday, things can still go wrong.

No sooner had Chris Iwelumo completed his hat-trick, and the delirious Wolves fans had sung their cocky, crowing chorus of ‘That’s why we’re top of the league’ than the visitors got a reminder of the dangers of complacency, of taking things for granted.

Within three minutes, Iwelumo had been given a red card for his ‘clash of heads’ with Sean St Ledger.

And, despite their protests, aided by St Ledger’s own post-match testimony, that is likely to remove their top scorer for another three games, on the day he was making his return after a two-match absence through injury.

Then, in the final minute, Wayne Hennessey, equally needlessly, brought down Neil Mellor. He too was off, despite there being two men back covering.

nd there were only nine Wolves players left on the park when the North End striker powered his penalty past the replacement keeper, newly-arrived sub Jason Shackell.

It had no bearing on a match long since settled by Iwelumo’s cheeky first-half overhead kick, his neat near-post second from Kightly’s cross and his spot-kick after Kightly was mown down in the box by Billy Jones.

But it should all serve as a reminder to Wolves’ fans, even those who do not expect promotion as of right each season, that there’s a long way to go.

A decade ago, Mark McGhee’s side won their first four matches ... yet he was gone by Bonfire Night!

Even more famously, David Jones’ side held an 11-point lead over their nearest neighbours, Albion, with just seven games left in 2002, and still managed to implode.

And even the 1962 side of Stan Cullis’s, whose start of six wins and a draw Wolves have now equalled (goals-for 22, goals-against 26 then, as against 21-7 now!) still only finished fourth.

Sure they have gone three points clear of Blues, and five clear of third-placed Preston, who were swept aside with such disdain. But McCarthy will make sure feet stay firmly on the ground.

PRESTON (4-4-2): Lonergan; Jones, Mawene, St Ledger, Hart; Nicholson, Carter, McKenna (Whaley, 76), Sedgwick (Wallace, 63); Mellor, Parkin (Elliott, 70). Not used: Neal (gk), Jarrett.

WOLVES (4-4-2): Hennessey 6, Foley 7, Stearman 8, Collins 8, Ward 7, ★ KIGHTLY 9, Henry 8, David Jones 7 (Edwards 70, 6), Jarvis 6 (Shackell, 90), Iwelumo 7, Ebanks-Blake 6 (Keogh 61, 8). Not used: Ikeme (gk), Vokes.

Referee: M Atkinson (Leeds).