New signing from Manchester City Charlie Holt made a strong impression in his first game in City colours when he was instrumental in getting the under 21s into a winning position against Coventry at Leckwith in a disappointing 2-2 draw on Tuesday evening.
I say disappointing because City experienced a fade out in the final quarter of a game they had been fully in control of at 2-0 up during a first half where they played really well.
While the turnaround didn’t coincide exactly with Holt’s withdrawal around ten minutes into the second half, we certainly looked a better side when he was on the park. At 17, Holt was able to cope physically with under 21s football in a way that many of our young players of his age struggle to.
I get that you shouldn’t read too much into just one game, but, on that limited evidence, Holt looks ready physically for first team football and technically he impressed with his range of passing and ability to cope with a press while playing the number six role. Again, it’d be wrong to get too carried away after just one game, but Holt looks like a definite step up from the young players we usually pick up from Premier League teams.
Going back to Tuesday’s game, Hayden Allmark put us ahead with a far post volley from a Jake Davies cross and Herbie James’ good finish has us two ahead against a team that were second best by some distance at the time.
However, sloppy defending allowed Coventry to quickly reply and once they had equalised midway through the second period, the visitors took control as we completely lost our way. Despite this, the fact that we were so much better than our opponents for most of the the match means this should have been a win.
On to tomorrow’s visit to Wolves which is the first of a trio of matches within a week against the teams relegated from the Premier League last season. It’s also the third of what should be a quartet of matches against sides sitting in the division’s top four. Following our loss at Blackburn in the first match after the international break, few would have given us a chance of getting anything at Middlesbrough, but our draw there followed by a deserved win over a Birmingham side in great form at the time means that we can travel to the Midlands with some degree of confidence.
Wolves sit fourth in the table with, like us, two wins and a draw in their last three matches, but I don’t think I’m being harsh here when I say the one word summary of their season so far may be underwhelming.
Whether this is fair is arguable, as Wolves won only three times last season while compiling just twenty points – that’s a very poor return which suggests that life at the lower level may not be as comfortable as many thought it would be.
Nevertheless, Wolves should be favourites for Saturday’s game against a team that only has two points out of a possible eighteen on their travels – anything other than a home win would represent an improvement on last week’s impressive win over Birmingham as far as we’re concerned.
On to the quiz, the answers to which will be posted on here on Sunday.
60s. This lanky centreback is a Londoner and made a few appearances for the club that was probably closest to the area of the capital he was born in before his move to Wolves midway through the decade. He was mostly a regular selection as he clocked up close to two hundred league matches at Molineux. His next move saw him head north to wear stripes for a club in decline and he left them four years later following another relegation. His final move as a full time player saw him turn out for a team thats ground is shared with a prominent rugby side these days, but can you name him?
70s. This locally born midfielder began and ended his playing career with Wolves. Never a regular starter during his three seasons at Molineux, he spent a year playing for a team from Oregon before returning to the Midlands to play for a team that would have looked identical to Wolves if you were watching the two clubs play each other on a black and white TV during parts of this decade. It was at this club where he probably played the best football of his career and he become their Player of the Year in one of his four seasons with them. He stayed in the Midlands to play for another team you would have struggled to identify if you watched that black and white TV again before going on to play for a variety of sides from home and abroad, including one in Wales. His playing career ended at Wolves during their bleakest time. Our man also went into management taking charge of two non league clubs, one of which was a Welsh coastal outfit who play in green and black. Who is he?
80s. Destroy fleet in Cambridge or Wolverhampton! (5,7)
90s. Lurch into England international for a month at Molineux?
00s. During one of Dave Jones’ seasons in charge of Wolves they had nine players on their books who would have, or had already had, a spell at City. How many of them can you name?
10s. Which former Wolves player from this decade has been in the news this week for something that happened to him while he was out walking his dog?
20s. Ex Chelsea man from Tenerife turns up in South American capital!
Answers to follow:
