Wolves Fans' Verdict v Bristol City: Up for the cup!

Rob Cartwright

What's your verdict on the match? Job done and deservedly so. Nuno responded to the fans' demands for a strong team with just three changes. On reflection, it was a good job he did.

Bristol had won their last nine games, but they hadn’t played anyone who can use the ball like Wolves. We completely dominated the first half. Doherty enjoyed plenty of the ball and got around their full back a number of times. Bristol were dealing with scraps and creating only half chances.

When Coady launched a 50-yard pass to Doherty out wide, he was able to beat the full-back and get to the box, before pulling back to Cavaleiro around the penalty spot. He calmly slotted home for a deserved lead.

The frustration was that we didn’t score again. Doherty hit the post but our domination should have given us a bigger lead.

This made for a stressful second half, as Bristol really gave it their all. They made two subs and changed tactics which was effective. Wolves were still asleep for the opening 10 minutes and Bristol made the most of this, winning the midfield battle and enjoying much more possession.

In honesty, they created very little with Wolves dealing with any ball into our box with relative ease. When Ruddy was called upon, he had safe hands and made a couple of saves. Doherty got away with a ‘handball’ which may easily have been given as a penalty. It makes you wonder whose name is on the cup this year!

Wolves came closest to scoring though, with a Moutinho free kick hitting the bar and then late on, Gibbs-White was through one-on-one with their keeper to beat, but he shot straight at him for a routine save.

Overall, we coped with ease thanks to Coady, Boly and Bennett dealing well with crosses and corners into our box.

Nuno didn’t use his subs until 70 minutes. Then, I would have liked to see Traore on to give them more to think about in their defence. Gibbs-White did not impact or change the game with Bristol on the ascendency, at that point.

Traore was due to come on next; however Doherty got injured and Nuno changed his mind and brought on Neves which I could understand.

So we’re safely into the quarter finals with hope that the draw will be kind to us.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? The defensive unit were great. The back three were solid and this allowed Doherty and Otto to get forward often. I thought Coady was immense. He let nothing past him and played a number of fine balls out to start an attacking move; including the one to Doherty for our goal. I think these two were our stand-out players with my man of the match going to Coady. A real captain’s performance to celebrate his new contract.

Ruddy did everything asked of him with confidence. Dendoncker had a very good first half but less so in the second. Moutinho put in his usual majestic shift, but I was disappointed with Saiss. He appeared slow and a little lethargic though Nuno saw something I didn’t as he kept him on for the whole game.

Cavaleiro was impressive and took his goal well. He too faded before being replaced with 20 minutes to go. He doesn’t play many full games!

Jimenez was covering the whole pitch in his usual way, with very few shooting chances falling to him. He hit the post with his best chance.

So, the dream continues...

We have a few ghosts to lay to rest don’t we. I still haven’t got over the late 90s semi-final where Claridge and Slater started with Bull and Keane on the bench. What was McGhee thinking?!

Last time we got this far, it was Southampton away in 2003 and we never got into that game.

Maybe. Just maybe.

Natalie Wood

What's your verdict on the match? I was nervous going into this game, it felt like a lot of people were already planning who we wanted in the quarter finals but for me this was going to be one of our toughest games of the season as Bristol are flying high and a really good footballing side.

The first half was entertaining mainly because Wolves were in complete control and playing some fabulous football. It highlighted how far we've come since our last visit to Ashton Gate.

Our goal was a typical Wolves goal (you would think Lee Johnson might have done a bit of research!) with a perfect ball from Coady to find Doherty who crossed for Cav to finish. Undoubtedly a much deserved goal, we had been causing issues down that wing all game and finally our persistence paid off.

We could have and probably should have scored a couple more in the first half, Bristol by this point were pretty woeful. Going into the break we looked so comfortable and deserved our lead, I did worry that we would be punished for missed opportunities because I was almost certain Bristol would come out a completely different team…and they certainly did.

The second half Wolves were completely against the wall for pretty much the entire 45 minutes. Bristol came out all guns blazing and we had no reply.

It wasn't that we played especially badly, it was more that Bristol were just so up for the fight. We no longer had any space to move the ball, anytime Doherty had the ball he had three men round him within seconds, midfield became pretty much non-existent as we became a team playing about eight at the back.

Just when you thought the day couldn’t get any more stressful, Doherty limped off with 10 to go. Bristol were just brutal in those last 10 minutes and I honestly don’t know how they didn’t score especially when the ball fell to Pack about three yards out. We somehow managed to cling on for a victory but I feel like Bristol deserved to at least take us to extra time, you do have to feel for them as they gave absolutely everything in the second half but sometimes you just need a bit of luck and thankfully they had none!

Who played well – and who didn't impress? It won’t go down as a legendary performance but we got the job done.

There weren’t really any bad performances but a couple of “tale of two halves”. Saiss was the main culprit, he was superb in the first half and won pretty much everything coming his way but he became sloppy in the second half and caused quite a few issues for us.

Jonny was also not at his best and a bit sloppy at times. Gibbs-White for me was a bit of a strange first change. At a time when we really needed a bit of stability I’m not sure why he was sent on ahead of Neves.

I really like Gibbs-White and see a lot of potential in him but for me he is always doing a bit too much at the moment which leads to a lot of losing possession and wasted opportunities.

My man of the match was Moutinho, he just oozes class and is such a dream to watch and yet again completely dictated the game where possible. He also really got stuck in at the back when we needed him to. Doherty also had another great game – what a player he has become!

All in all we got the job done, we didn’t make it easy for ourselves but even with our new shiny look you still want a bit of classic heart attack Wolves in there!

If we can avoid Man City in the next round I honestly do think this is our best chance in my lifetime at least to go all the way in the cup.

Two years ago our February started with three losses against Burton, Newcastle and Wigan and now we are seriously talking about winning the FA Cup…What a time to be a Wolves fan.

Russ Evers (Hatherton Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match? A game of two halves if ever there was one!

In the first half we oozed class, composure, calmness and total control, the only slight disappointment being a lead of just one goal.

In the second half Bristol City showed why they are the country's form team and pushed us all the way even if Ruddy was not overly troubled.

Roared into the quarter finals by a boisterous away end featuring a glorious foil FA Cup proudly waved by Rocket Pool's finest. Ninety minutes from Wembley and the goosebumps have started!

Clive Smith

What's your verdict on the match? Bristol away, been there, punched the air, hugged a stranger, we remember it well, part of our journey. Here we were again – and our journey continues.

It was pleasing to see a minimal number of team changes and we certainly looked on a mission in the first half. Not as frenetic as we'd probably have expected but we looked comfortable on the ball and in possession, creating regular half chances and putting on a wing back master class.

Otto and Doherty spent most of their time in Bristol's half as we frequently played our long diagonal and kept getting round the back.

No surprise then that Doherty had an assist when he got to the byline and pulled the ball back towards the penalty spot. Ten minutes earlier he had done it, but no-one was there then – this time Cavaleiro met the cross and we led.

Dendoncker, Jimenez and Doherty could each have added to our lead, with the post stopping the latter, before half time. We frequently dissected the Bristol defence as they failed to contain us – we looked by far the better side.

Sadly the second half was a different sort of game. Two Bristol subs and Wolves' "what we have we hold" policy saw us on the back foot more. With nothing to lose, more red shirts flooded into our box to meet the crosses aimed in that direction.

We made blocks, won headers and slowed the tempo down when we could. It meant we created little in attack and had to ride our luck at times around our box. Our work rate was excellent however. When one man was beaten, another one was quickly there to help cover.

As the clock wound down there was the worry that the "Football Law" of things equalling themselves out over time might bring another late goal and force extra time, but we had enough bodies in the right place, doing the right thing, to keep our clean sheet.

Well done everybody. It's not just Nuno who has a dream.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Ruddy was back to the level of consistency he showed last season, making saves look routine and his handling was secure except for once late on.

Otto had a rousing first half getting forward, making interceptions and linking up well. Defensively he was less sound and was beaten more than once which led to crosses.

Doherty was brilliant in the first half. Creating chances on several occasions. He went into defensive mode after the break.

Bennett, Coady and Boly were all on their game. Boly in particular won plenty of headers while Coady passed the ball well.

Saiss played the deep lying role Neves has been doing, before switching to central defence once Doc went off. His work rate was good without being spectacular.

Dendoncker looked the real deal in the first half. He was a worker bee in the middle third, full of energy and used the ball quickly and well. Then later he seemed to look leggy and was passed to easily when Bristol advanced through the middle.

Moutinho again impressed. Man of the match. He helped control the tempo of the game when we had possession. Clever with his passing, probing up the middle as a contrast to the wide diagonal balls the others were playing.

Jimenez put in his usual shift but had just a little edge missing when it really mattered – in the box. As a team player he is a joy to watch.

Cavaleiro does offer more than Costa and Traore over 70 minutes – not least an end product. He does give the ball away too often though.

From the bench Gibbs-White was the first on with 20 minutes to go. He did a lot of chasing upfront, without getting the ball. He did have a chance to close the game out when Jimenez put him through. His poor first touch made the angle that much harder.

Adam Virgo

What's your verdict on the match? When it comes to knockout football, it’s all about getting over the line no matter how you do it.

It was always going to be a tough away at Bristol City who were on incredible form but in the end we did enough to win the game.

We were the far better in the first half, playing our usual expansive football and Doherty had so much space on the right hand side to cause problems for Bristol City.

A brilliant pass from Coady to Doherty, something we’re used to seeing now, who then had the beating of Jay Dasilva and picked Cavaleiro out who finished well. Not always an easy chance, seen plenty of times in the past where players get under the ball and smash it into the stands but Cav is a class finisher, arguably the best one in our squad.

We certainly had other chances to get a second goal and kill the game. If Doherty’s had gone in, it would have been one of the best goals in the FA Cup this season. Dendoncker also should have done better with his chance but him breaking forward helps us in an attacking sense a lot.

The second half was a complete contrast and Bristol City put a lot of pressure on our defence although they didn’t create too much. They did have a few chances but we dug deep and defended everything well, players putting their bodies on the line to block efforts and Ruddy making a few saves also.

Being in the quarter finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2003 is an amazing achievement but we all want to go further. A home tie at this stage would be perfect but whoever it is home or away, if we can progress to the semi finals, that would be insane.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Joao Moutinho is the ultimate footballer. He genuinely deserves more respect on his name from the average football fan, he doesn’t get it because he’s shadowed out by other top Portuguese footballers/legends.

For all the magic he can produce, he certainly loves to get stuck in and put himself about as well. His set piece deliveries were on point again. He’s got a lot of grit about him and you put that with the quality he has on the ball, you’ve got a fantastic all round footballer.

Matt Doherty just keeps performing at a high level and in the first half yesterday he had so much freedom on the right hand side. Caused plenty of problems for their left back but his runs are so clever and our wing-backs have been huge to us going forward since Nuno came in last season. Definitely been one of the best in his position this season. Hopefully his injury isn’t anything too serious because he’s seriously important to us.

Conor Coady with a fantastic performance, proper captain and his passes to the right flank for Doherty we’re pretty much perfect. Second half we had more defending to do but him, along with everyone else at the back did their job.

No one played poorly at all, everyone put a shift in and did what was needed. To get a clean sheet away at Bristol City was class considering their recent form and as a team we defended properly. In the first half we looked good and deserved the lead. In the cup it’s never an easy ask wherever you go or who you play against and all the players had a good mentality.