Rae seals unhappy beginning for Bruce

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Birmingham City 1

Steve Bruce's reign as manager of Birmingham City began with a disappointment as a goal by Alex Rae midway through the second half proved to be the deciding factor in a competitive derby at Molineux yesterday.

"Before half-time, we were as good as they were," said Bruce. "But, fair play to Wolves, they have some very good players and they were better than us for 20 minutes. You have to hold your hand up and admit that they deserved it on their second-half performance.

"There aren't many stronger teams in the First Division, if any, and they are certainly one of the sides we have to watch."

Bruce, who was appointed on Thursday, has work to do to make a top-six team out of a side who had won their last two matches without conceding a goal under the caretaker management of Jim Barron and Mick Mills.

The temperature was high on the pitch on a bitingly cold day and Curtis Woodhouse was booked within a minute for a challenge on Shaun Newton. Play ebbed and flowed for most of the first half and Marcelo brought a clean save from Michael Oakes with a low 25-yard free-kick before Ian Bennett saved superbly at the other end from Mark Kennedy's right-foot shot.

Wolves went in front in the 38th minute when Newton's through-ball was turned sideways by Dean Sturridge for Nathan Blake to keep his cool and chip a right-foot shot over Bennett's dive.

It was the Wales striker's fourth goal for Wolves, but Birmingham equalised barely a minute later when Nicky Eaden's centre from the right was steered into a bottom corner by the right foot of Marcelo.

Wolves, with only one point from their three previous starts, should have regained the lead in first-half stoppage time when Rae struck the legs of Bennett from a clear opportunity set up by Blake.

At the start of the second half Rae drove wildly off-target and Blake volleyed at Bennett after Darren Purse had been booked for a foul on Sturridge.

Purse might have been sent off shortly after for a challenge on Blake while Birmingham could have gone in front when Marcelo cut inside Paul Butler and fired narrowly wide. It needed a headed clearance off the line by Eaden to deny Joleon Lescott from a Kennedy corner, then Bennett reacted superbly to claw away Sturridge's header from another Kennedy delivery.

But Wolves scored what proved to be the winner in the 65th minute when Kennedy drove hard and low into the middle from the left and Rae thundered the ball home from close range at the near post.

Blues hit back late and Oakes made a fine late stop when Marcelo deflected substitute Martin Grainger's 20-yard drive.

Bruce said: "There are areas to address but I have a good squad here and I'm looking forward to working with them. There are 10 or a dozen clubs capable of putting together a good run and getting right among it and I include Birmingham in that group."

Goals: Blake (38) 1-0; Marcelo (40) 1-1; Rae (66) 2-1.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Oakes, Muscat, Lescott, Butler, Naylor, Newton, Rae, Robinson, Kennedy (Camara, 77), Blake (Ndah, 67), Sturridge. Substitutes not used: Andrews, Pollet, Murray.

Birmingham: City Bennett, Fleming, Purse, Vickers, Burrows, Eaden (Andrew Johnson, 84), Woodhouse, Luntala (Grainger, 54), Lazaridis, Marcelo, Mooney (Horsfield, 72). Substitutes not used: Vaesen, Hyde.

Referee: R Furnandiz (Doncaster).

Bookings: Wolves: Muscat. Birmingham: Woodhouse, Purse, Marcelo, Burrows.

Man of the match: Blake.

Attendance: 21,482.