Express & Star

Wolves 0 Ipswich 0 - Report and pictures

With little to play for, the optimists among the Wolves faithful will have hoped for a carefree, flowing, all-action performance today.

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They didn't get one. What they did get was a turgid, lifeless football match, devoid of entertainment.

They also got their fifth goalless Molineux stalemate of the season, and second here in succession.

Wolves didn't really come to life until the final 15 minutes, upping their shot count considerably after failing to test the Ipswich keeper before then.

But it was too little, too late, and indeed Mick McCarthy, back on familiar territory for his third Molineux reunion, will feel his team did more than enough to win.

Wolves didn't lose, which was a small mercy, but if the remaining seven games are like this one their supporters might want to take their summer holidays early.

Jackett made one change from the team that drew 1-1 at Burnley two weeks ago, replacing the injured Jed Wallace with Bjorn Sigurdarson on the right wing.

The Wolves boss spoke in the build-up of carrying on where Wolves left off at Turf Moor - but the opposite was true in a dreary and dull first-half.

A tepid opening few minutes saw little action of note, although Wolves had a penalty shout turned down with George Saville's shirt appearing to be tugged in the box.

Ipswich were the first to serious threaten, with left-back Jonas Knudsen driving wide and then Liam Feeney, a recent recruit from Bolton, smacking a great effort off the post from the edge of the area.

Wolves (4-3-3): Ikeme; Iorfa, Batth (c), Hause, Doherty; Coady, Price, Saville; Sigurdarson (Henry, 45), Zyro (Le Fondre, 68)), Helan (Mason, 58).

Subs not used: Martinez, Deslandes, McDonald, Hunte.

Ipswich (4-4-2): Bialkowski; Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Knudsen; Feeney, Skuse, Douglas, Pringle (Bru, 69); Pitman (Varney, 69), Sears.

Subs not used: Gerken, Foley, Digby, Hyam.

Attendance: 20,225 (1,154 Ipswich fans)

The warning didn't exactly wake Wolves up - they were hesitant and laboured in possession, often taking at least a touch too many.

Freddie Sears cut inside from the left for the Tractor Boys and forced Ikeme into a low save.

Opportunities were limited for Wolves - and they wasted one when goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski dropped a cross, only for Danny Batth to hold onto the ball for too long instead of teeing up a team-mate.

It was indicative of a half low on quality and incisiveness. Successive crosses from Jeremy Helan, who was Wolves' best of a bad bunch, came to nothing.

Ipswich continued to look a threat - and they nearly took the lead when a dithering Kortney Hause was robbed of the ball in the six yard box by Pitman, whose dinks over Ikeme was cleared off the line by the same defender.

Wolves didn't register a shot of note and the whole thing was all played out in front an eerily quiet home crowd, who only raised the volume to boo the team off at half-time.

Jackett sought to inject some life into his team by sending on Henry at half time, the ineffective Sigurdarson withdrawn.

The change didn't have the immediate impact Jackett wanted, with Ipswich continuing to create opportunities at the start of the second-half.

Knudsen lashed miles wide from a good position, then Jack Price was alert to take the ball off Ben Pringle's toes after a flowing Ipswich move.

But Wolves remained lacklustre - so on came Joe Mason just before the hour mark, replacing Helan.

Ipswich went close again soon after when Ikeme produced an excellent save to block Pitman's diving header.

Wolves chucked a few crosses into the box but Bialkowski could have sat on a deck chair, such was his meagre involvement in the game.

Again Jackett sent on a substitute to try and spark Wolves into life, with Adam Le Fondre sent on for a rare appearance in place of Zyro, the third change after 68 minutes.

Ipswich made a double change themselves, McCarthy sending on Luke Varney and Kevin Bru - and Varney nearly broke the deadlock when he headed over from close range.

"Boring, boring, boring" sang a disgruntled South Bank - and Wolves responded by producing their best move of the match,.

Henry slid in Matt Doherty whose close-range shot finally forced a save from Bialkowski, 74 minutes in.

It drew ironic cheers from the home fans - and there were more just a couple of minutes later when Henry whistled a 20-yarder wide, in what was a veritable feast of entertainment after the famine before it.

But Ipswich soon regained control - Bru hitting the side netting via Ikeme's fingertips, with Henry hooking a header from the resulting corner off the line.

Unsurprisingly there was little action of note in the dying stages, other than Batth picking up a big knock to his forehead, requiring a Jody Craddock-style bandage and a new shirt.

In injury time, Doherty saw a shot blocked and then sent a looping header not too far wide, but 0-0 it remained, and Wolves were booed off.

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