Matt Maher: Wolves' belated resurgence a fun distraction from brutal reality

But for the moment, while the club prepares itself for relegation and the tricky rebuild to follow, the worst campaign in recent history has suddenly become rather fun.

Or at least, the football has. Where previously what happened on the pitch was only a reminder of Wolves' failings, now it is helping you forget them, if only for 90 minutes or so.

Monday’s 2-2 draw at Brentford was among the more entertaining Premier League matches of 2026, featuring an impressive fightback which extended Wolves’ unbeaten run to three games.

Anyone who has watched those matches without knowledge of the table or what came before might struggle to fathom how Rob Edwards’ team are doomed to the drop.

The season, however, is played over nine months, not one. Enjoyable as much of Monday night was, it also served as a microcosm of a campaign for which an improved second half could never fully make up for the failings of the first. 

Just as they did between August and December, Wolves dug themselves a hole in the opening 43 minutes at the GTech Stadium, falling two goals down as Michael Kayode and Igor Thiago profited from defending which might politely be described as slipshod.

Thiago, who earlier in the day had received a first-ever senior call-up for Brazil, should really have walked off the pitch at half-time carrying the matchball under his arm.

Yet two miscued close-range headers, one sent wide of the target and the other off the post, kept Wolves just about in the contest and when Adam Armstrong struck just before the break, the visiting team were firmly back in with a shout.

The second half, from Edwards’ men, was far better. Armstrong hit the post, before Tolu Arokodare came off the bench to level and then strike the woodwork himself. 

Wolves looked the most likely winners but then really should have lost it at the death, when Reiss Nelson was afforded freedom of the six-yard box only to miss the target. Had the match finished 5-5, neither team could have had too many complaints.

Across the 90 minutes, Wolves had showcased both their best and worst. 

Just as in the wins over Villa and Liverpool, it was impossible not to admire the character and fight of a team which has all but mathematically been long condemned to its fate. They wore the look of a unit who truly do believe in miracles.

At the same time, the ease with which they conceded the first half goals reminded you precisely why that miracle is required. You can’t defend so badly and expect to survive in the Premier League.

In terms of the table, the draw did little in real terms other than ensuring the inevitable will be delayed a little further into April than it might have been with a defeat. The chance of claiming a moral victory by leapfrogging Burnley also feels more achievable.

What it all means in the long-term, however, remains almost impossible to determine. 

Edwards spoke again about the importance of taking momentum into the summer and it is probably true a happier mood can help galvanise for the hard work ahead. A few more positive performances and results will also help the head coach win round the remaining doubters in the stands.

Yet so much depends on what happens in the summer transfer window, it is difficult to draw too many conclusions from Monday or any other remaining games.

Other than January signing Armstrong, it isn’t easy to guess which members of the starting XI, or those who came off the bench, will still be around next season.

That doesn’t make the seven remaining matches meaningless and if nothing else, Wolves don’t look like going down quietly. There may be more fun times ahead between now and the end of May. 

Perhaps the best message to supporters, all things considered, is to make the most of it while they can.