Former Blues loanee Richard Stearman headed a first-half own goal but Benik Afobe equalised five minutes after the break as Town and Wolves drew 1-1 in the clash of the play-off chasers at Molineux.

Jay Tabb replaced Stephen Hunt at left midfield in a Town side otherwise unchanged from the team which beat Cardiff 3-1 on Tuesday.

Wolves, where Mick McCarthy spent six years as manager, Terry Connor was his assistant and briefly boss, and Hunt and Christophe Berra were players, included former Town loanee Stearman from the start at centre of the defence.

Town started the stronger, winning an early corner, then in the third minute Freddie Sears found strike partner Daryl Murphy inside the area to the right but the Blues’ 24-goal Championship top scorer shot across the face of goal and wide.

The home side began to get on top of a game played in sunny but breezy conditions and in the seventh minute Nouha Dicko did well to cut the ball back from the byline on the left having beaten Blues skipper Luke Chambers, but Berra diverted it back to keeper Bartosz Bialkowski, who cleared.

Dicko was proving to be Wolves’ main threat in the opening minutes and on 10 the pacy frontman broke past Tommy Smith on the right but Berra was again there to challenge as he broke into the area.

Berra halted the Malian international’s progress again on the quarter hour after he had skipped away from Smith on halfway and was breaking towards goal.

Moments later, as the home side kept up the pressure, Wolves winger Rajiv van La Parra crossed from the right but was unable to find a team-mate.

Despite Wolves having looked by far the more dangerous side, the Blues went in front in the 21st minute. Bishop whipped over a corner from the right, Smith rose with Stearman, who inadvertently sent a the ball looping over keeper Carl Ikeme and into the corner of the net.

Smith claimed his fifth goal of the season but it seems likely to go down as an own goal by the former Town loanee, who failed to find the net for the Blues during his 15-game loan spell in the 2012/13 campaign.

The home side looked to hit back immediately, van La Parra shooting over and then Dicko failed to find the target with a header. However, the Town goal seemed to knock them out of their stride and the Molineux crowd quickly began to become frustrated.

On 33 Dicko cut into the area from the left but again found Berra in his way, the Scotland international this time blocking the one-time Wigan man’s shot.

Three minutes later, Jonny Parr was shown the game’s first yellow card for bringing down Benik Afobe as Wolves broke.

Wolves came within inches of getting back on terms in the 39th minute when Smith’s header from deep in the Town area fell to Dave Edwards, whose volley beat Bialkowski but struck the outside of his right post. Referee Stuart Attwell awarded a corner much to the surprise of the Blues players.

Two minutes later, Tabb was booked for a foul on Dicko, who required treatment on the pitch before continuing. The home crowd felt the challenge might have been worth more than just a yellow and the Blues midfielder was booed each time he touched the ball prior to referee Attwell’s whistle ending the half, signalling more boos.

While the Blues had found the pace of Dicko in particular hard to handle and Wolves had presented the greater threat for the most part, the home side had been prevented from creating many significant chances - with Berra usually the man in the way - prior to Town going in front.

The somewhat fortunate goal rather quietened Wolves down until Edwards’s late volley off the post.

A minute after the restart Dicko should have put his side back on terms, but headed Bakary Sako’s freekick from deep on the left into the side-netting at the far post. On 49 Dicko failed to get Dominic Iorfa’s low cross from under his feet and Bishop cleared.

The home side had begun the second half very much on top and a minute later they levelled. Van La Parra cut into the area on the left having been found by Kevin McDonald and hit a shot which deflected off Smith and across the area to the far post from where Afobe got ahead of Tyrone Mings to stab home.

It was the former Arsenal striker's 31st goal of the season and his 12th since joining Wolves in January.

In the 53rd minute Sears unleashed a 30-yard effort but Ikeme was able to comfortably block and then claim.

Wolves continued to have most of the ball and take the game to Town but without being able to create any more major chances. At the other end, the Blues had been unable to make much of an impact, all too often long balls forward for the front two were cut out.

Wolves switched James Henry for van La Parra on 64, then two minutes later Parr made way for Paul Anderson for the Blues.

Berra superbly slid in and took the ball away from Afobe as he broke into the area on 71, then within a minute stopped Dicko in his tracks as he reached the byline on the right.

Sears scuffed a rare Town effort wide in the 73rd minute, then a minute later ex-Wolves man Hunt replaced Bishop in the Blues midfield, Tabb moving to the centre.

The Irishman, who was applauded by his old fans as he made his way onto the field, immediately shot high and wide from distance.

Berra yet again thwarted Dicko in the 76th minute, the Blues centre-half sliding in to block after Afobe had fed his team-mate inside the area.

As the game moved towards its final 10 minutes Town started to have more of the ball in the Wolves half. On 80 Mings took a quick throw on the left but Hunt’s low cross was cut out ahead of Tabb.

But the home side were still a threat, Smith doing well to hold off Afobe to allow a wind-assisted punt down the middle to reach Bialkowski. Chris Wood replaced Sears for the final scheduled seven minutes.

Sako smashed a freekick into the Town wall on 85, from which the Blues broke and Wood curled a low shot not too far wide from the edge of the box. On 88 Dicko was booked for a foul on Chambers.

Wolves had one more chance to win it two minutes into injury time but Dicko was unable to get anything on Edwards’s scuffed shot from the right of the area.

Town boss Mick McCarthy will be happy enough with another battling away point with the home side having largely been on the front foot.

Typically staunch defending from man of the match Berra in particular meant that despite having most of the ball Wolves created only a limited number of chances. At the other end, the Blues only rarely threatened home keeper Ikeme.

Town are certain to end the day in sixth regardless of results elsewhere and have moved up to 75 points, equal with fifth-placed Derby, who are away at Huddersfield.

Wolves are now seventh, three points behind the Blues and a point in front of Brentford in eighth.

Wolves: Ikeme, Iorfa, Batth (c), Stearman, Golbourne, van La Parra (Henry 64), McDonald, Edwards, Sako, Afobe, Dicko. Unused: McCarey, Doherty, Doyle, Price, Ebanks-Landell, Jacobs.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Skuse, Bishop (S Hunt 74), Parr (Anderson 66), Tabb, Murphy, Sears (Wood 83). Unused: Gerken, Fryers, Chaplow, Williams. Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire). Attendance: 23,409.

Photo: Action Images

Lord_Mac added 17:01 - Apr 19 >I think town supporters are in two definite camps - those who are happy to be where we are after the Keane and Jewel days and those who while pleased with the playoffs yearn for attractive football from the Robson and Burley manual. < To an extent, I think it's possible to be in both camps! That's where I am. I'm broadly satisfied with where McCarthy has taken us, but frustrated that he has approached some matches defensively when we could have taken the game to sides (eg Wigan H Rotherham A, Huddersfield A, Leeds A, Reading H). These games against mediocre sides are the ones which have stopped us being in the frame for automatic promotion. As far as going up with flair football is concerned, of course the football that Bournemouth, Norwich and Watford played is more attractive. But the fact is that Bournemouth have spent a lot of money (albeit by investing money from player sales), Norwich have their premier league squad more or less intact (although that will change if they don't go up) and Watford have a partnership with a leading Italian side to call on for players. One way or another, every one of them has far more resources than we do. Perhaps if we'd held onto Rhodes and sold him for a fortune, instead of giving him away to Huddersfield, we might have been similarly placed? And yet, we got 6 points off Watford and 4 points off Bournemouth. We were outplayed in both games against Norwich's premier league squad, but it still took an offside goal to beat us in the first game. So what about young supporters? From what I've seen, it is success that brings crowds in and poor results that drives them away. The crowds have gone up when we have been winning and down again when we stopped. When we have been in the Premier League crowds have been higher. Of course, success *and* flair football would be better still! But I'd rather be challenging for the Play-Offs without flair than be playing flair football in League One. But I might change my mind if we had five years of knocking on the door without ever getting there.

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essex57 added 17:06 - Apr 19 Everbody is entitled to their views i remember the glory days i was at st ettiene cologne and amsterdam what great days they were however footballs changed since those days its all about money so if the way we get up is by dour dogged displays so be it to get that pot of gold . I must admit this is the first season for years that i have looked forward to going to portman rd we played crap football under Keane and Jewell and Magilton and never got anything so i will accept MM tactics to get us up well done Mick Terry and the team

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marshallmania added 17:29 - Apr 19 Thanks Richard! Parr for Mings Town are going up
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 17:52 - Apr 19 Personally, I'd be happy to go up playing whatever kind of football and worry about the consequences later. Of course, I'd much rather it was more Burleyesque, but that was a dream team and unlikely to be repeated. So I agree with Lord Mac. I think Mr McCautious would be more adventurous if he had the funds. After all, he had people haring up and down the wings at Wolves as I recall. If we don't go up, hopefully our attacking limitations will be addressed. If we do, well that's a whole new ball game. COYB!

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warktheline added 18:03 - Apr 19 For me, McCarthy was , without doubt the perfect choice to replace Jewell, and no one surely can deny, we got 'what it said on the tin' with Mick.....he hasn't let us down, has he? As I've stated before, we are in safe hands under McCarthy's management, but with this comes a 'brand' of football repelled by many football fans, not just ours. I'm going to push the ' no money ' debate to one side, and just put it out there for purists Town fans, hell bent on 'attractive' football. Last season, Leicester, Burnley, and QPR went up from Championship, playing 'good' football, where are all three currently sitting in Premier league? My point is this, is there really a right way to play football to achieve success? I watched Chelsea strangle the life out of Man Utd yesterday, and beat them playing bloody 'ugly' football. Are Chelsea fans complaining? The owner certainly wasn't, he was chuffed to bits with what he saw! Balancing all the factors at a football club is far from easy, our manager appears to be juggling quite well presently, doesn't he?

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HackneyBlue added 19:27 - Apr 19 I have struggled to enjoy the football this season but i have enjoyed the fascination of the season ,the bit i struggle to understand is when players like chambers,parr,smith have the ball in acres of space why oh why do they without looking lump it as far upfield or more commonly out of play when surely they must have the ability to control look pass,they are under no pressure whatsoever ,giving the ball back so so cheaply like yesterday really annoys me,no need.

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wayway added 20:56 - Apr 19 Bigalhunter. Did you never watch Colin Viljoen the best midfield player we have ever had including Thyssen and Murhen. He played under the very underated Bill McGarry without whom we would probably have sunk to the old Southern League. He was the man who Robson built his early teams around and he called him 'Ace'. I do not have rose tinted glasses where Robson was concerned as he did make mistakes, (not strengthening the team in 1981 which would have won us 2 league titles, selling Mick Mills as he said he had a better full back in Steve McCall etc etc etc) but cannot compare the fottball plated under Robson with the dire hoofball of Boring Billy, which it looks like it is going to pay off. Good for ITFC, Bad for football

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warkthelint added 22:29 - Apr 19 Absolutely spot on wayway. The soccer town played under McGarry through to Sir Bobby was on another planet compared to MM's style of soccer, irrespective of the fact that he has proved a steady pair of hands. This does not deter from the fact the the current style would put a Sunday pub team to shame, with players who are frightened to do anything other than hoof it up in the air and are not allowed any artistry. MM has invented a new form of total soccer where we try and win a match without one total shot on the opposition's goal If we were to make the play offs, I think we would get blasted by the attack minded teams around us in a sudden death atmosphere, even allowing for the fact that we beat Watford away. Can you imagine us trying to go for goals under the current hoofball mania? Doesn't bear thinking about.

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martleshamitfc added 00:07 - Apr 20 Just to end the weekend "The championship is Bonkers" what will be will be and at least it has been the best season we have had for many years! Well done to MM & TC and if we do not make it to the premiership this season then next year we will be top 2.
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essexbluey added 00:40 - Apr 20 Cant wait for saturday i will be in the north stand lower getting behind the team. COYB
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Bigalhunter added 09:49 - Apr 20 Wayway, yes I saw Viljoen, a superb player on his day, and such a shame he had fallen out with the club the season we finally fulfilled our potential and won the FA Cup. My point wasn't meant to demean the great achievements of the 70's early 80's, where we could compete on an even keel with the best in Europe, merely to point out that, as you admit, Sir Bobby had his faults too. We just didn't have a forum available to us at the time, where every armchair fan could whinge continually after watching the odd live game on Sky. If you didn't go to the game, you made do with three or four column inches in the newspaper the following day. Football (not soccer oldegold!!) is now a completely different game, and much poorer for all the money available to the select few. The football under MM is far removed from the thrilling, attacking teams of Robson, Burley and at times even Royle. However, it might just finally get us out of this division and give us a slice of the appalling but sadly necessary riches of the top division. A means to an end. I'd rather be in with a shout of success playing percentage football, than watching the spineless & clueless drivel served up by Jewell & Keane. I got no pleasure seeing us lose 7-1 & 6-0 with a team full of tosspots who didn't give a damn whilst we rotted away at the foot of the table. This lot have been cobbled together for virtually nothing because of the money spaffed up the wall by the previous two clowns. Somehow, MM & TC have produced a functional and effective unit that is hard to beat yet wins enough games to be in with a sniff of something we haven't got close to for 10 years Get your noses out of the air, stop living in a halcyon past that will never happen again, and get behind a bunch of players who actually want to play for the shirt. Total football it ain't, but after the last ten years of showponies and mercenaries, I'll take it while we wait for the managerial genius who'll have us passing in lovely triangles, scoring 100 goals whilst thrilling the armchair/keyboard massive with a team assembled from loose change down the back of the sofa.

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scunnyblue added 12:23 - Apr 20 Not the best performance this season but i personally don't care. 1 point gained. 1 step closer to a play off place. A win against forest on Saturday and that should be that. BONKERS!!!!!!
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wayway added 21:24 - Apr 20 Just for the record, Colin Viljoen did not fall out with the club. Robson picked him for the Villa game before the cup final but Donkey Talbot could not and would not play with him hence we lost 6-1. Yes we won the cup but were nearly relegated that season with a midfield of Talbot Wark and Osborne. That is why Murhen and Thyssen came the following season and Talbot was sold to Arsenal

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warktheline added 21:57 - Apr 20 Wayway, that's your version! Personally I wouldn't describe Talbot as a donkey!
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