Charlton 1 Wolves 3 - analysis

Wolves fans have become used to saluting the talents of Michael Kightly, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Co.

After all, these are the players who terrorise the opposition and score the goals that keep Mick McCarthy's side riding high at the top of the Championship table.

There may be two or three names which don't crop up as readily who supporters may start warming to, if this scintillating start to the season carries on – and that's not including weekend hero Sam Vokes.

Neill Collins, Stephen Ward and Karl Henry have found it harder than most to win over the Molineux faithful.

Indeed, the sometimes maligned trio have had to 'cock a deaf 'un' at one time or another to sections of the Wolves masses.

If those fans had had their way and McCarthy had bowed to pressure from the minority, they wouldn't be in the team now.

Perhaps the manager deserves credit for his refusal to bow to the boo boys, because his unshakeable faith in these players now appears to be gaining its rich reward.

On Saturday at Charlton, Collins and Henry could barely be split as man of the match contenders.

In winning header after header and clearing his lines effectively, Collins produced arguably his best performance in a Wolves shirt, perhaps justification why McCarthy had no hesitation handing him a four-year contract in the summer.

Henry has improved significantly this season and on Saturday he dominated the midfield with Dave Jones.

Like the other two unsung team-mates, the former Stoke man has occasionally had to run the gauntlet of frustration from the gold and black public, usually when he has had to play out of position at right-back or right midfield.

Kightly might inject the tempo when Wolves are in possession but Henry is the heartbeat of the team when they don't have the ball.

In the last two games especially, the captain has led the charge to shut down the opposition, as his involvement in three of the goals against Nottingham Forest proved.

He has also improved his range of passing and is now showing an ability to pick his team-mates out from distance, as well as the short balls.

And what of Ward? The play-anywhere Irishman is a manager's dream. Bought as a striker or left midfielder, he kept his place at left-back despite the arrival of three left-footed defenders since the previous game.

Playing as a makeshift left-back against Forest at home is one thing; playing as one away at widely-tipped promotion contenders Charlton is entirely another.

McCarthy was widely expected to introduce Matt Hill or George Friend, but Ward justified the manager's faith in him with another storming display.

The highlight of his considerable contribution was a tenacious cross from the byline – he seemed to have no right to wrap his foot around it – volleyed home by Vokes to put Wolves ahead.

As McCarthy was keen to point out afterwards, football's increasingly crazy multi-million pound culture seems to dictate signings must be big names and incredibly expensive.

If that's so, then one of the most heartwarming features of Wolves' stunning start to the campaign is that they have done it pretty much on the cheap.

On a day when £32.4million Robinho was on the losing side for Manchester City despite a debut goal, Wolves' starting line-up cost around £6m.

That is Paul Ince's current value of £25,000 bargain Michael Kightly – with unsung heroes Collins, Ward and Henry costing £150,000, £150,000 and £175,000 respectively.

As long as Premier League clubs refuse to take a gamble on the talent toiling away in the lower divisions, Wolves can continue picking the bargains on the back of some thorough scouting.

Vokes was signed for an initial £300,000, but if he keeps producing goals like he did on Saturday, then Wolves will be more than happy to hand over whatever add-ons were agreed with Bournemouth.

Another pleasing aspect of this current run – now nine Championship matches unbeaten going back to April 15 – is the way the goals are being shared around.

Vokes's double took his tally to three – the same as Chris Iwelumo, Kightly and Ebanks-Blake in the Championship – which isn't bad for an 18-year-old still to make his first League start for the club.

Now there's no doubt Wolves missed the powerful presence of Iwelumo against his old club, after he aggravated a groin injury in the warm-up, especially until the visitors equalised as Ebanks-Blake and Andy Keogh got little change out of Jonathan Fortune and Mark Hudson in the air.

The way Vokes took his two goals provided a reminder – if McCarthy needed it – suggesting there is another powerful striker more than capable of leading the attack.

Just looking at the players beforehand, there is already a swagger about Wolves, a steely conviction in the eyes of the players that they knew they weren't going to lose.

That conviction was tested to the full with just three minutes gone as they trailed to an early goal-of-the-season contender from Nicky Bailey, whose 30-yard full-blooded volley gave Wayne Hennessey no chance.

Charlton played Wolves at their own game for the first 20 minutes as they piled forward at every opportunity. Despite their early tempo, they failed to seriously threaten Wolves' goal again, Bailey flashing a carboncopy volley wide.

Instead, Wolves gradually began to assert themselves and Ebanks-Blake fired wide and Kightly flashed a header inches off target before Keogh had an effort disallowed as they served notice of their intentions.

We perhaps saw another welcome quality to Wolves' play immediately after the break – luck.

They should have gone 2-0 down only for the unmarked Varney to miss from point-blank range. The next chance that came was the 61st minute penalty leveller from Ebanks-Blake when Bailey caught Keogh late – and Wolves never looked back.

Vokes finally put Wolves ahead on 80, guiding a classy volley across keeper Nicky Weaver from the tightest of angles, before sealing victory seven minutes later when he converted after Kightly's shot was parried.

In between, Charlton boss claimed a penalty for a shove by Richard Stearman on Andy Gray.

Things are going right for Wolves at the moment. With Crystal Palace at Molineux tomorrow night, they look in no mood to stop the charge yet.