Wolves 2 Crystal Palace 1

Match report by Tim Nash

Wolves continued their occupation of the Championship's top spot and moved into the land of the legends in the process.

Their fifth victory in six games made it the club's best start since the man himself, Stan Cullis, patrolled the rabbit warren corridors of the old Molineux and Mick McCarthy was in his first year of primary school.

Yes, Wolves haven't opened a campaign this well since 1962 in a world still waiting to see James Bond on screen and hear The Beatles on vinyl and as much as McCarthy, now fully grown and well educated in football's pitfalls, is trying to keep things calm . . . well, it's starting to get pretty exciting.

What will have pleased the manager most about this success, against a resurgent Crystal Palace fresh from their breakthrough victory at the weekend, is some of the resilient qualities Wolves required to achieve it.

Sure, there was still plenty of evidence of the sweeping, high-tempo attacking football - none moreso when they popped in a goal after just 19 seconds.

But Wolves also reminded us that it isn't just American banks that can dig deep into their reserves. They completed this mission with four, perhaps five, players missing who might be considered "first picks" and with one or two signs in the first half of a little fatigue clogging their play.

For all the gloss of the start, this is still the Championship - horrible, gritty, earthy, tough and testing.

Given the impetus of that amazing early goal from Sylvan Ebanks Blake, Wolves did not quite know what to do with themselves before Palace hit back strongly and dominated the middle phase of the opening period during which Paul Ifill equalised after a mistake by Neill Collins.

But just as we wondered whether Wolves were running out of steam, they responded with renewed energy and before and after Andy Keogh's 58th minute headed winner after Ebanks Blake's shot was blocked, got themselves into enough goalscoring positions to finish off the match without any anxieties.

Ebanks-Blake's goal began a classic centre-forward display in which his prowling goal threat duelled with his ability to bring team mates into the game, notably Michael Kightly,

This pair enjoyed a series of combinations which repeatedly unlocked Palace

If Kightly's finishing touch was awry, the rest of his game served as a reminder as to just how much he was missed last season, an observation made more pertinent by the absence of his fellow winger Matt Jarvis through injury.

In fact, the game was not past the half hour before another of this season's early successes, Dave Jones, hobbled away with a back problem.

It meant Wolves were now without Craddock, Elokobi, Jones, Jarvis and Iwelumo - all whom might be starting in an injury free world.

The depth of those resources was underlined by the performance of former Shrewsbury Town midfielder Dave Edwards, Jones's replacement which, had it started earlier, would have been of man-of-the-match material.

Edwards was conspicuous in propelling his side forward again, notably in the second half, when he seemed to feature in every dash towards Palace's goal while helping to repel their occasional threat at the other end.

Wolves:

Hennessey, Foley, Collins, Stearman, Stephen Ward, Kightly, Henry, David Jones (Edwards 29), Keogh, Ebanks-Blake (Shakell 90+2), Vokes (Gray 68. Subs not used: Ikeme, Friend.

Crystal Palace:

Speroni, Butterfield, Lawrence, Fonte, Hill, Derry, Djilali, Carle (McCarthy 90), Watson, Scannell, Ifill (Thomas 75). Subs not used: Fletcher, Griffit, Ertl.

Referee:

Scott Mathieson (Cheshire)

Attandance:

22,200