Port Vale 1 Wolves 3 - Match analysis and pictures

The combination of a fourth consecutive victory, the ruthlessness of their finishing and a rousing performance overshadowed the Sako saga.

How crucial that matter becomes will be clear by 11pm tonight when the transfer window shuts.

This follows his decision not to make himself available on Saturday because he didn't feel in the right frame of mind to play after Wolves rejected Nottingham Forest's bid for him.

But whatever happens, the players rejuvenated by this unbeaten start to the season suggested they can succeed without him at this level.

Carl Ikeme, Danny Batth, Richard Stearman, Zeli Ismail, Bjorn Sigurdarson, David Davis, Kevin Doyle and Leigh Griffiths all laid claim to the man-of-the-match award.

But the man who was the glue which held it all together was Kevin McDonald.

On the evidence of his full debut for Wolves on Saturday, the 24-year-old midfielder looks a snip at £250,000.

McDonald ran from 10 yards inside his own half for his goal, just like Sigurdarson, who set it up.

But the way he dictated the play and his willingness to pass the ball forwards or diagonally and seek out the angles to stretch the opposition was refreshing.

McDonald is one of several players in this Wolves squad who have big reputations.

The evidence of the last two seasons says they haven't delivered on those for some time.

But under Jackett's meticulous tutelage, the Molineux head coach is breathing new life into faltering careers.

Once shattered confidence is being rebuilt, and with it performances are blossoming.

We can't get too excited too soon; 11 months ago, Stale Solbakken's Wolves also won four league games on the bounce to rise to third in the Championship.

But the patchwork nature of a team woven together of players from different eras and cultures meant there was a fragility about that Wolves side suggesting that sooner or later it was going to unravel.

This welcome revival seems different.

A largely youthful core mixed with the experience of players such as Stearman, Sam Ricketts and Doyle along with exciting signings McDonald and Scott Golbourne with knowledge of the level they're playing at and with their best years ahead of them means there is a more genuine and convincing feel to this team than any since Mick McCarthy put together his 'young and hungry' brigade.

Just like that side, they will have their ups and downs and, in such a long, demanding season, there will surely be times when they can't buy a goal or a win.

That's why this start is so important.

But right now it seems they can't do a lot wrong.

Certainly not if your name is Leigh Griffiths.

At this rate, he is fast earning a place in Wolves fans' folklore.

On Saturday, he not only scored his fourth goal of the season, made the second and started the move for the third, but he further cemented his popularity with the fans by mimicking Lee Hughes' trademark goal celebration and also nutmegging the former Albion striker.

Predictably, Hughes was given merciless stick throughout the game by Wolves fans, his 5-1 hand gesture in reference to Albion's last Black Country derby win after he was substituted in the 66th minute ensuring the abuse continued long after he had left the action. While Griffiths' antics were lapped up by the travelling gold and black army, he will know they only work if you are in a winning team and playing well.

Thankfully he is delivering on both counts, but having such confidence in himself will only help.

The gate of 12,601 – swelled by 4,461 Wolves fans – was the biggest league attendance at Vale Park since March, 1998.

And they were treated to a highly competitive Staffordshire derby – reminiscent of the regular dust-ups of the late 1980s and 90s – for the first 75 minutes, when Sigurdarson put Wolves 2-0 up.

An evenly-matched goalless first half was edged by the visitors on chances.

McDonald's chip was punched away by keeper Chris Neal, Matt Doherty's looping header dropped inches over and Griffiths dragged a poor effort wide, saw a shot charged down and forced Neal into a diving save to claw away a long-range effort.

The busy Ismail also forced a decent save from Neal after lashing a similar effort over.

For their part, Vale had Ikeme scrambling to his left to paw away after Jennison Myrie-Williams' run and shot, while Tom Pope headed fractionally over from Chris Lines's free-kick.

Griffiths started the second half how he finished the first, with an effort on goal, as he steered a sliding shot wide from Ricketts' cross soon after the restart. Substitute Lee Evans, on in first-half injury-time for new-signing Golbourne – who went off with a minor back problem – was the architect of the opener in the 56th minute.

His superb crossfield ball had Griffiths galloping away in the inside right channel and, after Carl Dickinson and Chris Robertson literally fell over themselves trying to get a challenge in, the Scot cut inside and lashed a shot inside Neal's near post.

Neal smothered a similar raid by Griffiths but that came in the middle of Vale's purple patch which saw them respond aggressively to conceding as Doug Loft headed against the post and Dickinson had Ikeme acrobatically tipping over his rising shot.

Vale's fire wasn't really extinguished until Sigurdarson volleyed home the second to convert Griffiths' right-wing centre.

Griffiths then freed Sigurdarson to scamper away down the right before unselfishly squaring for McDonald to sidefoot home after drawing Neal.

Pope's far-post header two minutes into time added on from Lines' cross may have been a consolation but it gave the scoreline a realistic look in respect of Vale's earlier surges.

But it failed to take the gloss off another Wolves win.

And no-one was talking about Sako.

Tim Nash