Wolves 1 Notts Forest 1 - Report and pictures

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In a season of missed opportunities, here was yet another for Wolves.moreHaving led 1-0 for 65 minutes and having created a number of chances, they succumbed to Dexter Blackstock's rather soft equaliser just 10 minutes from time.

As ever with Wolves this season, it wasn't for a lack of trying that they failed to beat their fairly limitless opponents. Sadly, a lack of quality was again their Achilles heel, particularly in central areas.

In the continued absence of the benched Benik Afobe their most likely source of goals came down the flanks, particularly through man of the moment Jordan Graham, whose wingplay was at times scintillating.

So too were his set pieces, and one such well-placed free kick was served on a plate for Ethan Ebanks-Landell to nod home the opening goal.

But for all their effort and spirit, Wolves lacked that bit of magic to put the game to bed.

On the plus side they are now unbeaten in five, albeit having drawn four of those, and are just two points behind their total of this stage last season.

But Kenny Jackett knows his team have a lot of improving to do if they're to mount a sustained charge for the play-offs.

Jackett named an unchanged side from the one that beat Rotherham 2-1 six days earlier, with Adam Le Fondre up front on his own.

Forest, managed by ex-Wolves striker Dougie Freedman, had two more familiar faces in their line-up in Dorus De Vries and Michael Mancienne.

And the visitors, who had won their last two matches, scoring six goals in the process, began in the ascendancy with former Villa man Eric Lichaj sending a free header wide from a corner.

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Nelson Oliveira then broke clear down the left but his cross was cleared by Scott Golbourne, before the same Forest player shot straight at Ikeme from range.

But, against the run of play, it was Wolves who took the lead 15 minutes in.

That man Graham provided his third assist in two matches, whipping a come-and-get-me free kick towards the back post where Ebanks-Landell powered his header past De Vries.

Forest should have equalised just three minutes later but Matt Mills, a one-time target for Wolves, directed his free header into Ikeme's arms from a Forest free kick.

Wolves broke with James Henry playing over the top for Le Fondre - he crossed first-time from near the byline and it was fractionally too strong for the onrushing Edwards.

Back came Forest on the counter and after a terrible Danny Batth header the ball was squad to Chris O'Grady who tapped home - but was a yard offside.

Kevin McDonald then held nothing back in a 50/50 with David Vaughan, but was fractionally late and picked up his fifth booking of the season, ruling him out of next Thursday's visit of Leeds. The clash caused a mini melee but it was nothing more than handbags.

Another Forest set piece caused Wolves problems, with O'Grady firing the loose ball off target, before Le Fondre bounded into the penalty area and saw his deflected palmed away by De Vries, although it was probably bouncing wide.

Graham has made a deeply impressive start to his Wolves career and the young winger was again Wolves' most likely outlet.

He nearly made it 2-0 on the stroke of half time - cutting inside and playing to Henry, taking the return pass inside the area and firing into the side netting.

Wolves began the second half on top and Henry saw a decent attempt blocked after Le Fondre cutely dinked a lob over his own head.

Ebanks-Landell was hungry for a second goal and his back header from a Graham corner was headed off the line.

Graham's set piece deliveries were of an excellent standard, causing Forest no end of problems, and another dangerous free kick was cleared, before Henry broke clear down the right and saw his cross crucially cut out.

Forest continued to threaten sporadically but couldn't quite final the killer final pass to break through the Wolves defence.

The game descended into a scrappy, bitty contest with a succession of blocked shots and cleared crosses for both sides.

The passionate home crowd gave their team a lift creating a stirring atmosphere, chanting 'barmy army' on all four sides of the ground.

It nearly culminated in the second goal - yet another Graham corner was spot on, and Ebanks-Landell should have done better when flashing his header past the post.

That man Graham then cleverly skipped between two Forest players before curling at De Vries from 25 yards.

But then came the sucker punch. On 77 minutes Freedman sent on Jonny Williams and Dexter Blackstock with a double change. Four minutes later Blackstock escaped the loose shackles of Ebanks-Landell at the back post to side-foot a corner into the net from three yards.

Jackett reacted by sending on Afobe in place of Le Fondre.

And Wolves began to press again, with Graham's left-wing flag kick dropping nicely to McDonald who lashed a 20-yard screamer on the volley, blocked just ahead of his goalkeeper by Daniel Pinillos.

But thereafter Forest comfortably held on, and four minutes of added time produced precisely no goalmouth action.

Wolves (4-2-3-1): Ikeme; Iorfa, Batth (c), Ebanks-Landell, Golbourne; McDonald, Price; Henry, Edwards, Graham; Le Fondre (Afobe, 84). Subs: McCarey, Doherty, Coady, Byrne, Wallace, Holt.

Nottm Forest (4-4-2): De Vries; Lichaj, Mancienne, Mills, Pinillos; Mendes (Williams, 78), Lansbury, Vaughan, Osborn (Blackstock); Oliveira, O'Grady (Ward, 67). Subs: Evtimov, Hobbs, Tesche, Trotter.

Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire)

Attendance: 20,000