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Your support makes all the difference.There was a celebration at Molineux yesterday. There were fireworks to welcome Premiership football to that venue of old legends, and the Wolves faithful felt they were to be rewarded. Then the game started. By half-time, Charlton were 4-0 up, by the end Wolves were wondering what more may hit them this season.
Neither side had started the new term looking refreshed, but at least Charlton, who had suffered a 3-0 home reverse by Manchester City, could comfort themselves with the fact that it was the third time in succession they had lost their opening game without it having any lasting detrimental effect. Wolves had returned to the top flight for the first time in 19 years with a reminder of how tough survival could be, going down 5-1 at Blackburn. For Wolves, a respectable performance yesterday was imperative, but within four minutes it was already seen to be improbable.
Colin Cameron found himself in difficulty with a bouncing ball in the penalty area. He tried to head it back, but Jason Euell intercepted and calmly placed Charlton ahead. In response, Nathan Blake contrived a solid header from Denis Irwin's free-kick, but it drifted wide.
Wolves badly needed time to settle and recover. They were offered none. In the 15th minute, Jody Craddock was harshly penalised for a roughish tackle on Shaun Bartlett, and Claus Jensen lashed the resulting free-kick past Michael Oakes. The Wolves fans, who had been so looking forward to the day, were now fearing every minute Charlton went on the attack.
When Radostin Kishishev cleared to Matt Holland in midfield, Wolves again were caught chasing shadows. Holland dispatched an accurate forward pass to Bartlett, whose pace had taken him into space, allowing him a comparatively easy goal. Wolves were never first to the ball, conceded the midfield entirely and were rightly punished with a fourth goal, failing to pick up Scott Parker's 33rd-minute long run. He knocked the ball through to Bartlett, who took advantage of what looked like an offside position and tucked in yet another easy-looking goal.
Now it was a case of damage limitation. Paul Ince's drive forced a fine diving save, but it was only when Charlton played keep-ball in the second half that Wolves had snatches of possession. Their manager, Dave Jones, tried to bolster midfield by introducing Alex Rae and Kevin Cooper, but they were left panning for dregs.
Charlton keptnew signing Paolo Di Canio on the bench for all but the last 13 minutes, by which time the visitors were defending their huge lead with 10 men. Parker had been sent off for a hard challenge for the ball that had Cooper's foot behind it. Alan Curbishley, the Charlton manager, said the decision "took the shine off a brilliant day". Generously, Jones concurred: "It was not a sending-off offence." Cooper himself left the field with his foot damaged, and since Wolves had used all of their substitutes they, too, played out the game depleted. In addition, though, they were totally deflated.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 Charlton Athletic 4
Euell 5, Jensen 15, Bartlett 25, 33
Half-time: 0-4 Attendance: 27,327
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