Birmingham City 1 (Adams 24)
Wolves 3 (Mason 47, Batth 61, Bodvarsson 89)
A goal down to Birmingham at the break, Wolves hit back in style to take the derby honours thanks to goals from Joe Mason, Danny Batth and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson.
There were two changes to Walter Zenga’s team with Jed Wallace and Jack Price returning in midfield in the place of Joao Teixeira and Dave Edwards who were both named as substitutes. Also on the bench was new signing Prince Oniangue.
An early cross from Matt Doherty found the head of Conor Coady whose header was turned behind by a defender for a Price corner that was cleared.
Then Tomasz Kuszczak was forced to paw away a low 18-yard drive from Coady as Wanderers made a bright start to the game.
From a David Cotterill corner a Wolves break saw the visitors enjoying a four against one advantage but Mason was dispossessed by Cotterill after Doherty had played the ball inside to him.
Wolves lost the services of Lee Evans in the 22nd minute with what looked like a knee injury. His place was taken by Edwards.
Two minutes later, Blues took the lead. Stephen Gleeson’s deep cross went over a plethora of heads in the box and when the ball fell at the feet of the unmarked Che Adams on the far side of goal, he took full advantage scoring with an angled shot.
Bodvarsson almost grabbed an equaliser as he forced a good save from Kuszczak with a long range drive after the striker had held off the close attention of Michael Morrison.
Clayton Donaldson saw his looping header saved by Carl Ikeme after a searching cross from Jonathan Spector before, at the other end, Kuszczak cut out Mason’s low cross with Bodvarsson nicely positioned in the event of a slip up by the keeper.
Mason’s far post header was deflected behind by Morrison after a cross from Wallace before Price was shown the yellow card for dissent.
In stoppage time Doherty tried to work a shooting position for himself and when he failed to do so his clever backheel set up Wallace whose shot was blocked.
Half-Time: Blues 1 Wolves 0
Just two minutes into the new half Wolves were level thanks to a cracking goal from Mason. Price’s determination saw him winning the ball on the left and when he slipped the ball to Mason inside the box there didn’t seem to be any apparent danger.
But the striker cut inside David Davis before unleashing a tremendous curling shot into the far side of the net.
Wallace wasn’t far away with a drive that took a deflection off Jonathan Grounds as it went behind, and with his next attempt Wallace dragged the ball wide from 20-yards out.
On 61 minutes Wanderers moved ahead. Doherty got a firm head to Price’s right-wing corner only for Kuszczak to pull off a terrific reflex save. But Batth was in on the loose ball like a flash thumping the home in front of the delighted mass of Wolves supporters.
Doherty headed over following another Price corner shortly before the midfielder was replaced by Oniangue.
There was a brief scramble in Ikeme’s goalmouth after the ball didn’t drop for the frustrated Donaldson and then there were groans from the Blues fans after Cotterill had lifted his shot high over the bar.
Davis was booked for tripping Edwards who was in full flight with the resultant free-kick taken by Wallace and collected in a crowded area by Kuszczak.
In the 80th minute a short pass by Bodvarsson was chased into the box by Mason whose claims that his shot into the side netting had taken a deflection off a defender were ignored by the referee.
Birmingham were then reduced to ten men after Kortney Hause had fouled Blues substitute Jack Storer five yards outside the Wolves box. There was no doubt it was a foul for holding but Storer reacted angrily by aiming a butt at Hause to merit an immediate red.
To make matters worse for the home fans remaining in St Andrew’s, Wallace slipped a pass to Bodvarsson who lashed an unstoppable shot beyond Kuszczak to confirm victory.
Blues: Kuszczak, Grounds, Shotton, Gleeson, Donaldson, Cotterill, Adams (Tesche 61), Maghoma (Stewart 76), Spector (Storer 76), Davis, Morrison (capt).
Unused subs: Legzdins, Robinson, Kieftenbeld, Soloman-Otabor.
Booking: Davis (78 – foul).
Sending-Off: Storer (83 – violent conduct).
Wolves: Ikeme, Doherty, Iorfa, Price (Oniangue 65), Batth (capt), Hause, Wallace, Evans (Edwards 22), Bodvarsson (Saville 90), Mason, Coady.
Unused subs: Lonergan, Henry, Costa, Teixeira.
Booking: Price (41 – dissent).
Referee: K. Stroud.
Attendance: 18,569 (2,761 away supporters).
Middlesbrough Under 18s 1 Wolves 1 (Samuels).
