A second-half penalty condemned the Wolves under 18s to defeat when they met Crewe Alexandra at Compton on Saturday.

And coach John Perkins admitted that his side weren't at their best against the Cheshire side.

He said: "We started badly and things didn't get much better as the opening half progressed.

"Crewe missed a penalty in the 26^th minute and, to be honest, we were lucky to go in at the break on level terms.

"We did improve after the restart but conceded a second penalty midway through the half and this time it was converted.

"Some chances did come our way with Scott Malone, Sam Winnall and Kyle Bennett all going close but, in the end, Crewe deserved their win especially after our first-half performance.

"I'll certainly be looking for a vast improvement when we play at Stoke on Saturday."