Analysis of Wolves 1 Blackburn 1

In the end they had to wait for a helping hand after working so hard themselves to make it happen.

For all the euphoria of the mass pitch invasion that followed Saturday's 1-1 draw against Blackburn, Wolves' Premier League survival was clinched 24 hours later and 104 miles away at Turf Moor as Liverpool beat Burnley 4-0 to remove any lingering doubts.

Whether boyhood Reds fan Steve Morgan raised a glass to his old team is not known.

But there is no doubt that he should do to his current team, in recognition of the mammoth effort Wolves have produced in staying up.

After being written off by so many as relegation fodder and derided by critics following Old Traffordgate, they have delivered and with some conviction.

If not riding the crest of a wave, Wolves are certainly bobbing along nicely after clinching survival with just one defeat in eight games, having conceded just six goals in that sequence.

It's little wonder the Three Ms were celebrating after doing it their way, and spending frugally in the process.

Splashing out the relatively modest sum of £18million last summer looks damn good business now, especially as they are guaranteed a minimum £35million next season.

As Wolves fans everywhere clinked their glasses over the weekend, there might just have allowed themselves to think this could be the start of something.

The club's hierarchy will certainly not be shouting it from the rooftops, but they certainly believe there are even better times ahead for the club. Survival was always the first part of the plan and it will be the first aim next season in this demanding of all leagues.

But the Three Ms see survival as being the first rung on the ladder in their long term plan of re-establishing Wolves among the elite and restoring them to being one of the top six clubs in the country.

Everything – the redevelopment of Molineux and significant investment in new players - hinged on surviving this first season in the Premier League. Now they have achieved their objective, they can plan ahead.

Focus will soon turn to summer signings and who of the current squad will be good enough to stay next season.

But, for now, it is a time for reflection, time for everyone - supporters, players and management - to savour the moment and look back on a job well done.

For manager Mick McCarthy it involved a bike ride followed by a few pints with his staff last night, while the champagne corks were popping at the house of chief executive Jez Moxey whoe received congratulatory phone calls from Sir Jack Hayward in West Congo and former director Bob Laslett in Chicago.

Captain Jody Craddock opted for something more low key – he was at his easel painting – while his team-mates lapped up the glitz of the PFA Player of the Year dinner in London. Either way, there will have been a few sore heads this morning.

But when the pain wore off, the warm glow from knowing Wolves will again be rubbing shoulders with the elite – including arch rivals Albion – next season, remained.

Whether Wolves deserved the point that all but clinched their Premier League safety was open to debate.

Blackburn hit the post in each half through Nikola Kalinic and former Molineux midfielder Keith Andrews to threaten punishment of a scruffy Wolves performance.

With so much at stake it was perhaps not surprising that Wolves allowed the sideshow to dominate the main event, something they were reminded of by McCarthy at half-time.

Fair play to the manager too for making the bold decision to change formation with just 37 minutes on the clock, going from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2 and bringing on Chris Iwelumo for Dave Edwards.

By then McCarthy had long recognised his team's shortcomings on the day and, if they were not able to out-pass Blackburn, then his change ensured they were at least going to compete with them at their own game.

Whether it was nerves or players just being below par is anyone's guess, but Wolves could not get their usual passing game going on Saturday.

The arrival of Iwelumo allowed them another option of going longer if they needed but it was the arrival of another striker who saved the day for Wolves.

How fitting in a way that Sylvan Ebanks-Blake scored the goal that essentially kept them up.

Suggesting he can still be a man for the big occasion, he scored at the same end of the ground as his last goal in open play to clinch promotion a year and six days ago against QPR. Ebanks-Blake has seen precious little go right for him in the intervening 12 months.

But his fine 81st minute header summed up what a real team effort this act of survival has been by so many at the club, coming as it did from Stephen Ward's pinpoint cross after an interchange with David Jones, two players who have been written off at times.

The relief at seeing Ebanks-Blake's header nestle in the corner of net was not confined to the player himself either.

It was hardly surprising the crowd went wild as it was Wolves' first at Molineux in eight hours, 34 minutes, and only their second in 14 hours, as well as being their first goal either home or away in seven hours, 50 minutes.

It cancelled out Ryan Nelsen's 28th minute opener, which came off the defender's knee from Morten Gamst Pedersen's corner which saw goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann get sucked into the six-yard box.

Thereon chances were few and far between, Wolves failing to create anything until after the break when fans welcomed the returning 1960 FA Cup heroes on to the pitch.

The current players looked as if they were inspired too, as Craddock lashed inches over and Kevin Doyle sent a header the same way as Wolves tried to force their way back into the game.

Molineux remained relaxed in the sunshine as news filtered through of Hull's struggle against Sunderland. But frankly it didn't look as if a Wolves goal was going to come before Ebanks-Blake struck.

Maybe now with survival assured, the Wolves number nine will get the chance to belatedly show he can be a Premier League goalscorer.

More importantly after helping Wolves to safety, he can do it for real next season.

By Tim Nash