AN HONEST, hardworking band of elves had their stash of gold coins stolen by a nasty, evil troll.

But in a land far, far away, the elves found an inner strength.

And with a combined will under the direction of the man they call Mick the Magician, they attempted to wrestle away a crown bedecked with jewels.

Could they escape on a flying carpet with their gleaming hoard, dreaming of a better life for one and all?

They’d have to take on the troll’s crack footballing team first to earn a golden key.

Joy! Dick Whittington crosses for Peter Pan, the boy who defies time, to volley the opener.

Sorrow! Dozy defending from Rip Van Winkle allows Captain Hook to thunder a leveller.

But back came the powers of good and they win the day when the freshly-introduced Frog Prince crosses for the Gingerbread Man to nod home.

Then Hansel’s free-kick is carried into the penalty box by a magical griffin and headed home by an unmarked Gretel.

If only every match could be this good.

But Mick McCarthy doesn’t believe in fairy stories.

So no elves, no troll, no Cinderella finding a glass slipper.

Jody Craddock, Steven Fletcher and George Elokobi were the heroes. Stephane Sessegnon the villain.

And the gleaming hoard wasn’t a crown. It was three points.

But make no mistake, Wolves are safe. You can put your mortgage on it. Not just because of yesterday’s results elsewhere either. No, because they’ll wipe the floor with Blackburn.

When Wolves went down without a fight, swatted at Stoke, the mission looked aborted.

They’d been mugged by the Magpies, tickled by the Toffees, flattened by Fulham and pulverised by the Potters.

Changes were made. Brave ones too.

Out went the Pied Piper Matt Jarvis, out too went the defensive rocks Richard Stearman and Christophe Berra.