Late strike by Mackay lifts hopes for Norwich

Norwich City 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Wolverhampton Wanderers' capitulation in the first leg of the First Division play-off semi-final at Carrow Road yesterday may have dealt a terminal bow to their hopes of achieving Premiership status.

Dave Jones, the Wolves manager, chose to berate the performance of the retiring referee, Roger Furnandiz, after his side's miserable run of results – which handed an automatic promotion place to West Bromwich Albion – continued against in-form Norwich, who had only just scraped into the play-offs.

"I thought he was absolutely atrocious," Jones said of Furnandiz. "I don't know how I end up with four bookings and I will go as far as to say he is not physically fit to referee in this division or any division.

"He was running around there like an old tug boat. The referee did not cost me the game or anything like that, but at this level you have to be fit – and he is not fit."

A below-par game from Jones' expensively assembled side leaves Wolves with an uphill struggle for the return leg on Wednesday. The Molineux manager admitted that not even the Norwich match-day programme's inclusion of directions to the Millennium Stadium – where the play-off final will be held – could inspire his players to victory.

"It certainly did [smack of arrogance],'' Jones said of the directions to Cardiff. "But we didn't take the opportunity to use it to our advantage and we are disappointed with the result.

"We go back to our place now and no doubt they will be confident. But it is up to us to win it. We know what we have got to do – get two goals to draw level – and we've got to turn the tables on them.''

Nigel Worthington, the Norwich manager, aiming to take the club back into the Premiership after a seven-year absence, saw matters differently. He claimed that his side are still the underdogs despite the two-goal advantage they will take to Molineux and said that Wolves, who were last in the top flight 18 years ago, cannot be discounted.

"They've spent millions on good players and we have to go to their place," Worthington said. "We're not going to shut up shop, but we will be professional and look to do a certain job.''

It was Wolves who drew first blood when their striker Dean Sturridge finished off an impressive move involving Kevin Cooper and Shaun Newton to mark his best goalscoring return for a season with his 21st strike in only 29 games for the club.

Adam Drury, the Norwich defender, had earlier seen his 15-yard drive saved by the Wolves goalkeeper Michael Oakes. His team-mates Gary Holt and Malky Mackay also failed in front of goal in an opening period dominated by the home side.

Norwich hauled themselves back into the game 10 minutes after the interval when Clint Easton swung in a cross from the right at the second attempt. Mackay headed the ball back across goal and Mark Rivers curled the ball into the net.

Wolves went further behind after 71 minutes when Paul McVeigh produced a sublime header from Phil Mulryne's cross from the left wing to loop the ball over the helpless Oakes. Then in injury time Mackay's close-range header left Wolves, who seem to be becoming specialists at play-off failures, with a monumental challenge in the second leg of the semi-final if they are finally to realise their dream of promotion to the Premiership.

Goals: Sturridge (22) 0-1; Rivers (56) 1-1; McVeigh (73) 2-1; Mackay (90) 3-1.

Norwich City (4-4-2): Green; Kenton, Drury, Mackay, Fleming; Rivers (Roberts, 76), Hoult, Mulryne, Easton; Nielsen, (Libbra, 86), McVeigh (Notman, 82). Substitutes not used: Crichton (gk), Sutch.

Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-4-2): Oakes; Halle, Lescott, Butler, Camara; Newton (Miller, 72), Cameron, Rae, Cooper; Blake (Proudlock, 81), Sturridge. Substitutes not used: Murray (gk), Naylor.

Referee: R Furnandiz (South Yorkshire).

Bookings: Norwich: Easton. Wolves: Rae, Sturridge, Cooper, Camara.

Man of the match: Mulryne.

Attendance: 20,127.