Stoke 4 (Walker 15, Ampah 37, Martin 54 & 81) Wolves 0
Wolves under-21s were defeated 4-0 by Stoke City in the Premier League 2 at the Bet365 Stadium.
Goals from Adriel Walker, Ato Ampah and Tyler Martin saw the hosts claim the three points in Staffordshire.
Both teams battled to gain control of the ball in the opening stages, with the hosts edging the possession for the first five minutes.
Wolves goalkeeper Alfie Brooks was called into action shortly after this period, meeting a threaded pass outside of his area to deny Ampah of a clear run at goal.
The Old Gold fashioned their first opportunity minutes later, but Finn Ashworth’s looped shot from the edge of the box was comfortably caught by Caleb Clothier.
However, the Potters struck first 15 minutes into the half. A Wolves set piece was well defended by the hosts, with a quick counter-attack resulting in Walker tucking the ball into the bottom corner.
Unphased by the concession of the goal, Rich Walker’s side continued to look lively as they pushed Stoke back into their own half. Junior Tchamadeu, who has accrued Championship experience with the hosts, was booked for halting a promising Old Gold breakaway.
This passage of play set the tone for much of the rest of the opening 45 minutes as both teams grappled for control of the game, resulting in a scrappy and often discontinuous half of football.
The Potters were able to move the ball out of the midfield and had a chance to double their lead in the 37th minute. Ampah, who threatened the Wolves goal earlier, drove forward and into the penalty area before hitting a powerful shot past Brooks to make it 2-0.
Ampah’s strike proved to be the final piece of goal-bound action as the half drew to a close.
Half Time | Stoke 2-0 Wolves
The hosts looked to extend their lead after the interval as they started the second half on the front foot.
It was in the 54th minute that they got their reward as Walker turned provider, whipping a low cross into the path of Martin, who fired his effort into the roof of the net.
Wolves continued to threaten despite being three goals down, with a superb headed clearance denying Minkyu Ji of a goal just after the hour mark.
Ji drifted to the left-hand side of the Wolves attack after several substitutions and caused the Potters headaches as he sought to fire the visitors back into the game.
However, it was Walker who came closest to adding to the goals as he stormed through on goal, before being denied by a foul.
The resulting free-kick, situated just on the edge of the box, was well-saved by Brooks, but the clearance was met by Martin, who struck a volleyed effort into the top right corner.
Stoke were able to see out the game from then on as Wolves were defeated at the Bet365 Stadium.
The Old Gold will look to respond as they face Southampton in the Premier League 2 at Aggborough Stadium on Friday 18th September.
Full Time | Stoke 4-0 Wolves
Stoke | Clothier, Tchamedeu (Phillips 46’), Mears, Thompson, Bardsley (Idrisa 30’), Kelly, Anderson (Morrison 66’), Ampah (Liu 66’), Achu, Martin (Poole 84’), Walker
Unused Subs | Cooper, Makavore
Wolves | Brooks, Okoduwa, Dayman, White, Ojinnaka (Lochhead 46’), Rawlings, Ballard-Matthews (Gonzalez 55’), Ashworth (Bradbury 55’), Edozie (Angel 55’), Ji, Anunlopo
Unused Subs | Arnold, Nolan-Ruddock, Fraser
By Harry Cooper-Smith