Victory, At A Cost

Wolverhampton Wanderers snatched a last gasp winner against Coventry City on Saturday thanks to an injury time Neill Collins header.

The win moves the up to seventh place in the league, but has come at a cost.

Michael Gray, one of Wolves more consistent performers this season so far was withdrawn after 20 minutes witha torn hamstring following a crunching Robbie Simpson tackle.

Even worse was to come, when the same player contended a ball he was never likely to get with goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, resulting in the young Welsh Keeper being taken to hospital for x-rays, replaced by Graham Stack.

Ironically, it was the loss of Gray that gave match winner Collins his opportunity to become McCarthy's ' unlikely hero' but it was a loss teh manager could have well done without.

At half time the injuries mounted further, with Stephen Ward withdrawn, suffering from tendonitis in the knee. With all the midweek hoopla surrounding Freddy Eastwood, his introduction was greeted with cheers, but the former Shrimper never recieved the supply he needs to make any impact of note.

The injury toll could have read much worse. Gary Breen suffered a gashed face, and Michael Kightly was the recipient of the kind of special treatment meted out to players of his talent, whilst the officials looked on and saw no particular wrong doing.

And so it was left to Collins to right the wrongs of a scrappy, ugly encounter against a side happy to let their boots do the talking in entirely the wrong language.

A Michael Kightly corner was returned to him, and his next whipped in cross was attacked by Neill Collins whose header flew past Marshall sending Molineux into raptures.

It may not have been pretty, it may not have been particularly nice, but you take any victory you can when you're stuck in the trenches.

Wolves are now unbeaten in four, with 8 points to show for their efforts.

And luckily, a two week international break for the wounded to recover.

'It wasn't a game we deserved nothing out of,' said the Coventry manager Iain Dowie afterwards.

No, you're right Iain. You deserved a hell of a lot more than that

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