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Wolves pushing for promotion
Only the top five clubs have lost fewer games than Wolves but again this season they have been drawing too many games, a total of fourteen in the league this season after an incredible twenty-one last season.
The home draw against bottom club Crewe proved to be the last straw for some fans who reacted angrily towards manager Glenn Hoddle, and many have decided to vote with their feet tonight. They are expected to have their smallest away following in years, even smaller than the numbers that turned up at Brighton for a midweek game earlier in the season.
As is usually the case for a Wolves manager, Glenn Hoddle has been able to strengthen his squad since we last met, and having brought goalkeeper Paul Harrison in from Liverpool last November, he added four more players to his squad in the January transfer window.
Two of them were already at the club on loan, Aston Villa keeper Stefan Postma and Sheffield Wednesday’s Maurice Ross. Both made the moves permanent and were joined by Denes Rosa, a Hungarian midfielder from Ferencvaros, and Polish striker Tomasz Frankowski from Elche. And he’s also signed a further player on loan in French forward Jeremie Aliadiare from Arsenal.
Hoddle is under pressure to provide them with Premiership football, something they have experienced just once so far, having won promotion from this league, via the play offs, two years ago.
The relationship between Hoddle and fans is not good, and the manager recently claimed that the pressure the fans were putting on his players was getting to them. Those fans will be demanding a big improvement in the near future or the pressure could get greater and could well be targeting the manager.
Both sides will be looking for a win following a poor result on Saturday, and a home win would once more take the Clarets above Wolves.
Team News
Wolves could give a debut to loan man Jeremie Aliadiare. He’s been left out until now to ensure he’ll still be available should Wolves reach the play offs, but his debut tonight is subject to him recovering from a cold.
Definitely ruled out of the Wolves side is Seyi George Olofinjana. There are also doubts about Colin Cameron, Gabor Gyepes, Mark Kennedy and Rob Edwards, although it is expected that Kennedy and Edwards, who both played on Saturday, will be available.
If so, it could be the same side that drew with Crewe on Saturday which was: Stefan Postma, Rob Edwards, Joleon Lescott, Jody Craddock, Lee Naylor, Ki-Hyeon Seol, Paul Ince, Denes Rosa, Mark Kennedy, Carl Cort, Tomasz Frankowski. Subs from: Michael Oakes, Maurice Ross, Rohan Ricketts, Kenny Miller, Vio Ganea, Jeremie Aliadiare.
There will have to be yet another change in the centre of our defence tonight because of yet another suspension. Frank Sinclair sits this one out, the second in his two match ban, and his replacement on Saturday Wayne Thomas now starts his own two match suspension following his red card on Saturday.
It will have to mean a shuffling of the pack for Steve Cotterill and I would think that Michael Duff, who moved into the centre for the last few minutes at Ipswich, will be drafted in to play alongside John McGreal in the centre of defence tonight.
That will leave a gap at full back with a couple of options. Duane Courtney came on and played there at the end of the Ipswich game whilst Wade Elliott has also played in that position during games this season.
I think it could be Elliott who will get the opportunity tonight and if so, and providing there are no other changes, the team will be: Brian Jensen, Wade Elliott, Michael Duff, John McGreal, Jon Harley, John Spicer, Micah Hyde, James O’Connor, Graham Branch, Gifton Noel-Williams, Michael Ricketts. Subs: Duane Courtney, Chris McCann, Garreth O’Connor, Danny Karbassiyoon, Marc Pugh.
Last Time
It came back in August last season and it was a game the Clarets really should have won. We were the better side but had to come from a goal behind to earn ourselves a point.
Read Home wins don’t come around too often in our Look Back section for more on this game and other recent home games against Wolves.
The teams last season were,
Burnley: Danny Coyne, Michael Duff, Frank Sinclair, John McGreal, Mo Camara, Ian Moore, Richard Chaplow, Tony Grant, Micah Hyde, Graham Branch, Robbie Blake. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, Lee Roche, Ryan Townsend, Joel Pilkington, Matt O’Neill.
Wolves: Paul Jones, Mark Clyde, Jody Craddock, Joleon Lescott, Rob Edwards, Shaun Newton, Paul Ince, Colin Cameron, Seyi Olofinjana, Kenny Miller (Gary Mulligan 82), Leon Clarke. Subs not used: Michael Oakes, Keith Andrews, Kevin Cooper, Keith Lowe.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1986/87 | 4 | a | 1-0 | 5,786 | Grewcock |
| . | . | h | 2-5 | 2,947 | Grewcock James |
1987/88 | 4 | a | 0-3 | 10,002 | . |
| . | . | h | 0-3 | 10,386 | . |
| . | SV | W | 0-2 | 80,841 | . |
1994/95 | 1 | h | 0-1 | 17,766 | . |
| . | . | a | 0-2 | 25,703 | . |
2000/01 | 1 | a | 0-1 | 20,156 | . |
| . | . | h | 1-2 | 15,483 | Branch |
2001/02 | 1 | a | 0-3 | 24,893 | . |
| . | . | h | 2-3 | 21,823 | I Moore Johnson |
2002/03 | 1 | a | 0-3 | 25,031 | . |
. | . | h | 2-1 | 18,641 | Taylor West |
2003/04 | LC | a | 0-2 | 18,548 | . |
2004/05 | C | h | 1-1 | 13,869 | Blake |
. | LC | h | 1-1 | 5,013 | Blake - won 4-2 on penalties |
. | C | a | 0-2 | 24,336 | . |
2005/06 | C | a | 1-0 | 21,747 | G O'Connor |
Click HERE
to see more results against Wolves since our first meeting in the inaugral league season of 1888/89.