Wolves 2, Charlton 1: How Iwelumo was inspired by his daughters

Mar 15 2009 by Lisa Smith, Sunday Mercury

“Chris knows he has had all our support and since coming back into the team he has really played well. He will judge himself with that goal and that was a terrific goal.”

The Yorkshireman made one change from the side who had scrapped for a point at home to Ipswich in midweek, with the reinvigorated Michael Kightly coming in for Kyel Reid on the right wing.

Although Wolves started brightly, Phil Parkinson’s Charlton were not going to roll over and die, although they did gift the home side far too many free-kicks, which the Wolves players could not capitalise on.

It was the 28th minute before Wolves really got a shot on goal with Dave Jones thinking he had scored after the ball went in off Holland, but referee Graham Laws disallowed it after seeing a push on the line.

In the 36th minute, however, Iwelumo found a deft touch to beat keeper Rob Elliot and send the Wolves’ fans into a frenzy.

With news filtering through that Reading were losing to the Tractor Boys the crowd seemed to sense that nothing but a win would do to try and push on towards promotion.

And the players upped the ante with Stephen Ward and Ebanks-Blake causing the Addicks’ defence all sorts of problems.

But the second half was only six minutes old when Charlton’s Zhi put the visitors back in the game with a strike from 25 yards.

However, Wolves were not prepared to settle for a point, as they had been forced to in midweek, and after Jones pinged a corner in the ball seemed to stay up in the air for an eternity before Kightly got under it and blasted it straight at the goalkeeper.

Ebanks-Blake won his 70th-minute penalty after a push on Christophe Berra but saw Elliot make a good save to deny him his 24th goal of the season.

And there was a shout minutes later when the England Under-21 striker was brought down by Therry Racon but this time the referee waved play on.

Iwelumo, however, was adamant this was going to be his show and sent in a dangerous header with ten ninutes to go. The ball cannoned between Ebanks-Blake and Holland before rebounding into the net.

That late goal left Parkinson saying: “We have lost to two scrappy goals in a game we deserved something out of. We feel hard done by.

“We’ve played well here and need to carry on playing with a lot of pride, although our chances of staying up are slim.

“I was instrumental in taking Chris Iwelumo to Colchester and then Charlton and he was our top scorer last season.

“To see him leave almost for a nominal fee hurts because we have needed a striker like him who can score scruffy goals.”

WOLVES (4-4-2): Hennessey, Foley, Craddock, Berra, Hill, Kightly, Jones, Edwards (Keogh, 63), Ward (Henry, 45), Ebanks-Blake (Vokes, 86) Iwelumo. Not used: Higgs, Reid.

CHARLTON (4-4-1-1): Elliot, Butterfield, Hudson, Holland, Youga, Soares (Ambrose, 73), Racon, Spring, Bailey, Zhi (Shelvey, 87), Kandol. Not used: Randolph, Dickson, Basey.

Star Man: Chris Iwelumo.