Tweet
Championship Play Offs Reaction:
Wolves went into this game still without top scorer Nicolas Jackson, but on a five game unbeaten run. Although compared to Brighton’s own very long unbeaten run that was nothing. Thankfully the two legged semi final games against Luton Town went completely opposite to the league encounters between these two sides with Wolves running out winners in both this time, winning 2 – 0 at home where Brazilian defender Emerson Royal played the starring role with both goals and the player of the match accolade and then a 3 – 1 win at Kenilworth Road that saw the return of defender Pascal Struijk from suspension but more importantly showcased Matheus Cunha’s gifts with a goal and an assist. The only downside was the season ending injury picked up by Spanish midfielder Gabri Veiga who had been on a good run of form stepping into the first team dure to suspensions elsewhere.
So here we were in the final, both teams on the brink of rejoining the top flight at the first time of asking after relegation last season.
Well that was a game and a half, we got an early goal courtesy of Nathan Tella, but Brighton soon pulled it back to level the score and from then on the game dragged into a stalemate to take us into the dreaded extra time that the Seagulls would have to face with only ten men. Right on the cusp of half time in extra time defender Reece Oxford latched onto a cross from Loic Bade to put Wolves in front. This was then followed up by goals from Matheus Cunha and Joao Pedro who popped the icing on the cake. Thankfully, no injuries or suspensions resulted from this match. The 4 - 1 scoreline didn’t really do justice to Brighton as they were better than that. But the bottom line is Wolves are up and playing Prem football next season.
Football League Trophy Final Team News:
The best news in the lead up to this game for Wolves is that the Championship’s top scorer Nicolas Jackson returns from a three game suspension to lead the line against Red Bull Salzburg in the first ever cup final appearance for my only permanent side Wolverhampton Wanderers (Bradford City / Preston North End). On the injury front, thankfully the victorious Play Off Final didn’t add anyone else to the list so Gabri Veiga is still the only player on the list. So thankfully, despite a very busy playing schedule for Wolves there were no further suspensions or injuries picked up by the players and a full strength side can be fielded in the Football League Trophy Final. In contrast, after resting since the end of the completion of their league season Red Bull Salzburg can also field a full strength team for the final with no one in the squad injured or suspended. This competition may not have the kudo’s compared to my EFL Cup win many seasons ago caretaking Ajax, but getting to this stage for this club I feel is a huge vindication of the work done here.
Word count: 520
Wolves went into this game still without top scorer Nicolas Jackson, but on a five game unbeaten run. Although compared to Brighton’s own very long unbeaten run that was nothing. Thankfully the two legged semi final games against Luton Town went completely opposite to the league encounters between these two sides with Wolves running out winners in both this time, winning 2 – 0 at home where Brazilian defender Emerson Royal played the starring role with both goals and the player of the match accolade and then a 3 – 1 win at Kenilworth Road that saw the return of defender Pascal Struijk from suspension but more importantly showcased Matheus Cunha’s gifts with a goal and an assist. The only downside was the season ending injury picked up by Spanish midfielder Gabri Veiga who had been on a good run of form stepping into the first team dure to suspensions elsewhere.
So here we were in the final, both teams on the brink of rejoining the top flight at the first time of asking after relegation last season.
Well that was a game and a half, we got an early goal courtesy of Nathan Tella, but Brighton soon pulled it back to level the score and from then on the game dragged into a stalemate to take us into the dreaded extra time that the Seagulls would have to face with only ten men. Right on the cusp of half time in extra time defender Reece Oxford latched onto a cross from Loic Bade to put Wolves in front. This was then followed up by goals from Matheus Cunha and Joao Pedro who popped the icing on the cake. Thankfully, no injuries or suspensions resulted from this match. The 4 - 1 scoreline didn’t really do justice to Brighton as they were better than that. But the bottom line is Wolves are up and playing Prem football next season.
Football League Trophy Final Team News:
The best news in the lead up to this game for Wolves is that the Championship’s top scorer Nicolas Jackson returns from a three game suspension to lead the line against Red Bull Salzburg in the first ever cup final appearance for my only permanent side Wolverhampton Wanderers (Bradford City / Preston North End). On the injury front, thankfully the victorious Play Off Final didn’t add anyone else to the list so Gabri Veiga is still the only player on the list. So thankfully, despite a very busy playing schedule for Wolves there were no further suspensions or injuries picked up by the players and a full strength side can be fielded in the Football League Trophy Final. In contrast, after resting since the end of the completion of their league season Red Bull Salzburg can also field a full strength team for the final with no one in the squad injured or suspended. This competition may not have the kudo’s compared to my EFL Cup win many seasons ago caretaking Ajax, but getting to this stage for this club I feel is a huge vindication of the work done here.
Word count: 520
Comment