Livingston 1 Wolves 2 - Match analysis and pictures
[gallery] So far so good for Wolves. That has to be the positive bulletin from boss Kenny Jackett's first two friendlies in charge.
Wolves returned from their tour of Scotland with a 100 per cent record after odd-goal wins against East Fife and Livingston.
And while the difference in both cases was only one goal, the performances and chances created suggested they should have won by much greater margins – especially on Saturday – to leave head coach Jackett satisfied with the outcomes.
He said: "Winning is a habit we want to build up because to some degree the club has got out of doing that. In terms of the team, we are a work in progress. Once the players understood what I wanted on Saturday, we saw some good things and we created a lot of chances."
There were no clues from Jackett yet as to how many first choices were in his team that played for all but the last 20 minutes.
But notwithstanding further signings and ignoring the goalkeeping position, it's difficult to see there being too many changes from it before the big kick-off at Preston on Saturday August 3.
In the man the home crowd had come to see on Saturday, Wolves have a natural finisher oozing confidence in Leigh Griffiths while, alongside him, Bjorn Sigurdarson is worth persevering with.
Matt Doherty has continued on from his largely-impressive baptism at the tail end of last season to lie ahead of the experienced Kevin Foley for the right-back slot.
The commanding Danny Batth looks stitched on to rightly claim his place at centre-back alongside one of George Elokobi, Richard Stearman or Georg Margreitter.
Captain Sam Ricketts looks a thoroughbred at left-back.
But if Wolves have found a ready-made goal poacher for the departed Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, then nowhere do the options look more intriguing than those to replace Karl Henry and Jamie O'Hara in central midfield. Jack Price has been with Wolves for half of his young life but, in terms of a first-team place, appears to have come from nowhere.
The busy Shrewsbury-born midfielder makes up for what he lacks in inches with quick feet and a tidy football brain.
He will surely settle into a central midfield slot alongside David Davis or the smooth-passing playmaker Lee Evans but, for now, is happy to come off either flank to control proceedings with his intelligent passing.
Davis has the ball-winning ability to take Henry's role as enforcer and Evans seems to have O'Hara's confidence on the ball and a crispness of passing and control to keep it.
Wolves have an obvious gap to fill on the flanks when Bakary Sako departs but Anthony Forde and, to a lesser degree, Zeli Ismail need to do more to suggest they could fill it.
And Wolves, whose supporters accounted for around half of the 920 crowd, trailed to Marc McNulty's 12th-minute volley on Saturday.
But from 20 minutes on, it was one-way traffic as Wolves created – and mostly missed – chances galore.
Griffiths was the biggest culprit, missing five excellent openings in a 12-minute spell while Sigurdarson spurned two.
But George Elokobi's long-range shot, after Sako's corner had been cleared, finally beat goalkeeper Darren Jamieson for an overdue 35th-minute equaliser.
Then, five minutes after the interval, Davis gave Wolves a deserved lead with a first-time shot into the top corner.
Sako, Liam McAlinden, Ismail, Jake Cassidy and Dave Edwards later all went close, while Doherty had an effort disallowed for offside.
Livingston (4-4-2): Jamieson (Walker 63); Mampuya (Fordyce 63), Mensing, Donaldson, Talbot; McDonald (Mullen 75), Trialist (Trialist 63), Beaumont (Lander 81), Trialist (Trialist 56); McNulty, Burchill (Downie 56).
Wolves first 70 mins (4-4-2): McCarey; Doherty, Batth, Elokobi, Ricketts; Price, Davis, Evans, Sako; Sigurdarson (McAlinden HT), Griffiths.
Wolves last 20 mins (4-4-2): Ikeme; Foley, Stearman, Margreitter, Reckord; Forde, Doumbia, Edwards, Ismail; McAlinden, Cassidy.
Referee: C Allan Att: 920 (estimated 400 Wolves)
Tim Nash