Wolves 2 Charlton 1 - Report and pictures

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Super-sub Adam Le Fondre's first Wolves goal gave them a crucial victory as they came from behind to beat Charlton 2-1 at Molineux.more

Things looked dire for Wolves when a below-par opening 55 minutes was capped when Johann Gudmundsson's shot went under Carl Ikeme for Charlton's opener.

But the arrivals of Le Fondre and Sheyi Ojo from the bench - the former replacing Nouha Dicko who was stretched off with a serious-looking injury - transformed Wolves' fortunes.

David Edwards equalised from close range when he stabbed home a low cross.

And then with just five minutes to go Le Fondre flicked home Ojo's left-wing centre to give Wolves, who survived seven minutes of injury time, three crucial points.

Much of the talk before kick off was whether Benik Afobe - the subject of continuous transfer speculation - would be in the Wolves XI.

But it was Richard Stearman's absence that was the talking point, with the defender absent from the squad amid the breaking news that Wolves had accepted a bid of £2m from Championship rivals Fulham for the 28-year-old.

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There were four changes from the team that lost to Cardiff, with Scott Golbourne, Matt Doherty, James Henry and Nouha Dicko replacing Stearman, Dominic Iorfa, Rajiv van La Parra and Sheyi Ojo.

And it was one of the incoming quartet, Henry, who sparked Wolves into life in the early stages.

A magical run from Afobe opened up the Charlton defence in the third minute - he played to Henry who cut inside before curling inches wide of the far post.

Henry has been the subject of interest from Charlton all summer and just a few weeks ago his Wolves future looked to be in doubt.

And the wide man seemed intent on showing Charlton what they had missed out on, creating almost all of Wolves' chances in the opening stages.

Lovely work from Henry down the left ended with him sending a left-footed cross onto David Edwards' head, but he nodded over.

Henry then left Charlton captain Chris Solly for dead, but Dicko took the floating cross away from Edwards.

Wolves: Ikeme; Doherty, Ebanks-Landell, Hause, Golbourne; Edwards, McDonald (Ojo 62), Coady, Henry; Afobe (Wallace 88), Dicko (Le Fondre 62). Subs: Martinez, Iorfa, Price, Enobakhare.

Charlton: Pope, Solly, Bauer, Diarra, Fox, Gudmundsson, Kashi, Cousins, Bergdich (Jackson 90), Ahearne-Grant (Ba 45), Makienok (Vetokele 19). Subs: Mitov, Charles-Cook, Lennon, Sarr.

Attendance: 19,583 [/breakout]

Kevin McDonald was then close to finding the unmarked Dicko, with Patrick Bauer taking the ball off his head with Dicko primed to nod goalwards.

And then Henry, following a short corner, forced Pope to tip over the bar with a decent effort from range.

Charlton's Simon Magienok was forced off through injury, with Igor Vetokele replacing him.

Wolves then broke at pace, with Golbourne starting the move, and the left-back was then fouled just outside the box, only for Afobe to waste the 20-yard free kick with a tame shot at Pope.

Henry was then inches away from setting up Edwards with a superb cross after a jinking run, but the sliding Edwards was a fraction away from connecting.

Charlton gradually came into the game as the half progressed, drawing a couple of regulation saves from Ikeme, but the half badly petered out.

Wolves had decent spells of possession but there was a lack of intensity in their play and, Henry aside, creativity too.

The drab football continued at the start of the second half with an unbalanced Wolves midfield providing little to no service for Afobe and Dicko.

And Wolves paid for their tepid performance when Charlton took the lead on 55 minutes.

Johann Gudmundsson, a player Wolves have shown interest in, cut inside and fired at Ikeme from 15 yards - but the ball went under the goalkeeper's body.

It was yet another goalkeeping blunder for Wolves this season - arguably the fifth that has directly cost them a goal.

And things went from bad to worse soon after when Dicko was stretchered off with a serious looking injury.

Adam Le Fondre replaced him, with Sheyi Ojo coming on for Kevin McDonald at the same time.

And within three minutes Wolves had a vital equaliser when a low right-wing cross was stabbed home at the second attempt by captain Edwards.]

The relief at Molineux was palpable and soon after they had a good chance to take the lead, but Afobe nodded Henry's cross at Pope.

Henry was yet again involved when his cross drifted dangerously goalwards, forcing Pope to palm over his own bar.

And from the resulting corner Edwards missed a sitter to make it 2-1.

Henry's inswinging was nodded across goal by Doherty and Edwards somehow send his header over the bar from all of two yards out with the goal gaping.

Edwards' effort levels were tremendous yet again and he raced back into his own box to crucially deflect a Bauer shot wide.

Le Fondre then had a decent opportunity from Ojo's cross but lashes his first-time shot on the turn over the bar.

But when the substitutes combined again with just five minutes remaining Wolves completed their comeback - Ojo's perfect low centre was prodded home by Le Fondre to send the home crowd into raptures.

Wolves had to withstand seven minutes of stoppage time owing to Dicko's injury, but it passed by without incident as Wolves held on.