A bitterly cold December day and revenge needed for that ill fated playoff game seven months ago. Oh how I was hoping for an early xmas present and I wasn't to be disappointed. The crowd were certainly pumped up, but what the hell was that countdown doing as the players came out? Norwich came to molineux with a very poor away record considering their lofty position, so I was hoping for lambs to the slaughter or at least canaries being stuffed. Wolves made one change from that unimpressive goalless draw last week, with on-loan Cole replacing Sturridge (why it didn't happen last time was beyond me), who went to the bench.

Wolves started very brightly taking the game straight away to Norwich. It was reminiscent of last season with the pace being very fast and furious. Wolves threatened almost immediately with their golalie making the first of many fine saves from a fierce Miller shot. Ten minutes of intense pressure should have seen the first goal, but Miller took too long to control a superb pass from Kennedy, whilst five minutes later a Rae volley almost caught the keeper unawares. Then some excellent short passing by Irwin and Ince saw the former hacked down from behind to earn a freekick on the edge of the Norwich area. You would think that Irwin would've relished this one but Cooper stepped up only to fire into the well organised wall.

Wolves started to fall off a little as Norwich came back into it and for a short time it was pretty much end-to-end stuff. However on 37 minutes the deciding goal was scored. Kennedy managed to squeeze in a fine cross, just as he was fouled by a Norwich defender and as the crowd were roaring for a free kick, play continued and Miller snapped at the ball which bounced off the keeper for Cole to side step another defender and slot the ball home from 6 yards. A delightful goal which eased much tension the ground, however Coles goal celebrations need a little fine tuning as he tried a Robbie Keane flip but failed and so he looked like he was doing a handstand. The goal saw Wolves go for the jugular and should have had a penalty on 40 minutes as Miller was hauled back whilst clearly in the box. The ref gave a free kick on the edge of the area and the resulting Irwin free kick whistled past the Norwich post.

HT Wolves 1 Norwich 0

Wolves continued in the second half where they left the first, hungry for the win as a Cooper drive was well saved and then a fine run by Cole saw the ball given to Miller, whose shot was again well saved by the keeper. It wasn't all Wolves as Norwich pushed forward and created some good opportunities, however this meant that Wolves were finding holes in the Norwich defence.

As the game drew on, the fast tempo took its toll on Wolves as they slowed up and started to try the "keep ball" game. Wolves continued to impress and had many chances to score notably from Miller and a Kennedy freekick. On 75 minutes an excellent header by Cole produced an even better save by their keeper, much to his and everyone's dismay. The game seemed to be all action with both teams playing their part in a very good game.

The result was very satisfying especially as all the other results went Wolves way and lifted them back into a playoff spot. Its a shame that Wolves can't play like this every week, however things look better now than a few months ago; here's hoping for a very merry xmas.

FT Wolves 1 Norwich 0