Express & Star

Report and pictures of Wolves 0 Birmingham 0

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Wolves went top of the Championship for a couple of hours but they had to settle for a derby stalemate with Birmingham City in the lunchtime kick-off.

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Kenny Jackett's side went closest to breaking the deadlock when substitute Dave Edwards's chip hit the bar in the 71st minute.

Wolves launched a second-half barrage of pressure but had little to show for it as Blues looked much tighter after their record 8-0 home defeat to Bournemouth last week.

Leon Clarke was inches away from sub Bakary Sako's cross and Kevin McDonald was narrowly wide with a 25-yard drove in a second half dominated by Wolves.

Blues' only chances were a shot from Clayton Donaldson that flew wide in the 26th minute and a header from Jonathan Grounds that was smothered by Carl Ikeme on 61.

But there were angry scenes after the final whistle when there was a brief exchange of missiles between fans in the upper tier of the Steve Bull Stand and the lower tier, where the Blues fans were.

This followed an interrupted minute's silence for Remembrance Day after a few shouts from the visitors' section were booed by the South Bank, adding more tension to the derby atmosphere.

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Head coach Jackett made two changes to the line-up that beat Leeds 2-1 last weekend.

Leon Clarke and Liam McAlinden, who was recalled from his loan at Fleetwood Town this week, started in place of Dave Edwards and Nouha Dicko, who Jackett had said was OK on Thursday only to see him pull out with a hamstring injury.

Clarke was preferred to Edwards in the number 10 role after his impressive performance in the second half at Elland Road.

When the action got underway, Clarke had the first chance in the sixth minute but his twisting header was tipped over by the backpedalling Darren Randolph.

Four minutes later, McAlinden found himself in the clear only to be driven wide and dig out a poor shot that Randolph saved comfortably falling to his left.

Blues' first chance arrived in the 14th minute when Andrew Shinnie's looping header from David Cotterill's left-wing cross sailed well over.

But the visitors, in a new-look 4-1-3-2 formation under new boss Gary Rowett, were frustrating Wolves and the longer the game went on, frustrated their hosts.

Blues grew into the game and began to create chances of their own and ended the first half on top.

Their confidence growing, Blues pushed on at Wolves at every opportunity and Koby Arthur lashed into the sidenetting on 23 from a Cotterill free kick that was headed on by Lee Evans.

Three minutes later Blues had their best chance of the first period when Kevin McDonald was hassled out of possession by former team-mate David Davis and Clayton Donaldson was left in the clear in the inside right channel.

But with Carl Ikeme to beat, he drove a few feet wide.

A clearance by Matt Doherty ended a period of Blues pressure on 34 and left Clarke in the clear but he seemed to hesitate with his shot before having the sting taken out of it by a deflection.

Wolves looked brighter at the start of the second half and tried to carry the game to Blues, but chances were hard to come by despite plenty of possession as the visitors held firm.

McDonald had the first opening on 54 but his rising shot from 25 yards was a few feet over.

A minute later there was a handball shout for a Wolves penalty when Henry's cross hit Jonathan Grounds but referee Anthony Taylor shook his head.

Wolves made a double substitution in the 56th minute as they pressed for the opener. Bakary Sako and Edwards replaced Jacobs and McAlinden.

But it was Blues who almost forced the breakthrough from a corner on 61 when Carl Ikeme spread himself to his right to keep out Grounds' header.

Wolves began to put Blues under pressure and three minutes later, McDonald was just inches wide from 25 yards after Donaldson cleared Sako's free kick.

The home side retained the initiative and went desperately close on 71 when Edwards found himself in the clear on the left inside the box and beat Randolph with his chip only to see it come off the bar.

Wolves threw Yannick Sagbo on for the tiring Clarke on 78 as a last throw of the dice.

But the closest they came was in the third of the three minutes of time added on when Sako's sidefooted effort was blocked by Caddis after Evans ran onto Sagbo's flick and knocked it back into his path.