Wolves 1 Preston 3 - analysis

They defended doggedly, got in the opposition's faces, attacked with venom and finished clinically.

Unfortunately for Wolves fans, it was play-off challengers Preston and not the team that has led the Championship for all but a three-week spell since August who looked the most likely promotion-winning outfit.

As a result, a second home defeat of the season was potentially damaging to their position and morale.

As a performance, it seemed tired, stodgy and lacklustre, save for a brief snappy spell either side of the opening goal, a gift accepted by Sylvan Ebanks-Blake after 20 minutes.

Looking ahead, it doesn't get any easier as Wolves are forced to seek a recovery strategy away from Molineux.

The possibility of three successive away games with Birmingham, Bristol City on Saturday and Reading on the 27th is a demanding schedule, without the prospect of an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Middlesbrough three days before that trip to the Madejski Stadium.

But the Cup could just be Wolves' saviour at the moment.

The night's re-arranged tie at St Andrew's has provided boss Mick McCarthy with a dilemma to wrestle with – whether to select a strong side to try to secure a victory which could kickstart a league campaign that has suddenly started to show cracks.

Perhaps no one saw this coming, but maybe a display like this had been waiting to happen for some weeks.

Whether it's the pressure of being top dogs, the opposition winding themselves into a lather to beat them, or simply the fact that Wolves haven't been at the their best for the last four games, McCarthy's side aren't quite clicking just at the moment.

Two points out of nine isn't a crisis. Such was the juggernaut force that Wolves raced clear of the pack during the first half of the season that they remain four points clear of second-placed Reading.

But the exciting power play that left team after team trailing in their wake not so long ago has deserted them. For the first time this season, on Saturday the anxiety that the fruits of the club's young and hungry policy had done so well to hold at bay returned, in the form of a few isolated boos from the crowd.

The vast majority of fans stuck by the players, but many had voted with their feet by the time we were into the closing stages.

By then the sway of the Molineux masses had long decided that their team weren't good enough or deserving of the fightback they so craved, as an unusual inevitability of defeat hung around the ground.

Returning old boy Stephen Elliott's second and Preston's third goal saw to that. Staying with the fan theme, no one is a bigger supporter of his players than Mick McCarthy.

Yet as the manager acknowledged afterwards, the absence of three key regulars in the sick Wayne Hennessey, Kevin Foley and the departed Michael Mancienne hit Wolves harder than anyone would have imagined.

In Richard Stearman, McCarthy has a more than capable right back, while Jason Shackell has plenty of Championship experience.

But in losing Stearman's pace from the heart of the defence, Wolves seemed to struggle to press the opposition as high as they usually do, and that lack of urgency seemed to spread through the team.

For several weeks now, Wolves have been their own worst enemies in losing the ball and then having to chase their own mistakes. Saturday followed the same pattern. If McCarthy needed any more evidence that he needs to strengthen this month, it was surely provided against Preston.

Hassled out of possession up front, they lost the midfield battle and so inevitably found themselves under pressure in defence. Perhaps it would have different if Ebanks-Blake had been on target with a second minute chance instead of dragging it well wide.

Even either side of the striker's 16th goal of the season, which came following an awful kick from keeper Andy Lonergan after Youl Mawene's backpass, Michael Kightly should have done better with two decent openings.

But Elliott, who remains good friends with several Wolves players, gave notice of his intentions when his shot on the turn forced a superb one-handed save out of Carl Ikeme.

Within a minute the Irishman showed why McCarthy had always rated him, when he got across his man to bundle home to punish slack defending after a quickly-taken throw and Ross Wallace cross on 24.

Elliott curled inches wide before more sloppy defending – McCarthy admitted his side missed three headers to clear Paul McKenna's corner in the build up – allowed Sean St Ledger the chance to force home, after Jon Parkin had hit the bar four minutes before the break.

The burly Parkin might not win any slimmer of the year contests but he was nippy enough to lead the Wolves defence a merry dance at times. First he had an effort disallowed for offside, then he fired narrowly over after Shackell had failed to pick up his routine run.

Wolves' best chance of an equaliser up until then had fallen to Neill Collins on 57, but he couldn't get the ball from under his feet to shoot from six yards out.

Worse was to follow four minutes later, when Elliott stabbed home after Ikeme had flapped at Wallace's cross and Chris Sedgwick cut the ball back across goal.

The writing was on the wall then but, to their credit, Wolves continued to attack and had their closest effort of the afternoon when Chris Iwelumo headed against the bar on 64.

Ten minutes later, the game's most controversial moment – the penalty that was and then wasn't and forced an angry dismissal of Preston boss Alan Irvine – didn't effect the outcome.

Referee Colin Webster ruled Parkin had handled but allowed himself to be overruled by his assistant Steven Rushton. For what it's worth, at least one Wolves player felt the eventual outcome was the right one.

As Wolves look ahead, they will hope this will be one of those runs that all teams with their ambitions suffer at one point or another during a season. But they are finding their path to glory a rocky one at the moment.

By Tim Nash