Wolves 1 (Oniangue 77)
Burton Albion 1 (Miller 90+4)
A goal deep into stoppage time from Burton substitute Will Miller cancelled out Prince Oniangue’s opener for Wolves and meant that the first League meeting between the clubs finished with honours even.
There were seven changes to the Wolves team with Richard Stearman playing the first game of his comeback, first League starts for Oniangue and Helder Costa, and full debuts for Paul Gladon, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Ivan Cavaleiro.
Wolves kicked-off attacking the North Bank end and both sides got in initial goal attempts in the fourth minute with Costa shooting over for Wanderers and Lloyd Dyer drawing a routine save from Carl Ikeme with a low drive.
Gladon did find the net in the 12th minute but the referee ruled that Jon McLoughlin in the Brewers goal had been impeded and the official awarded a free-kick.
McCloughlin had to react quickly as Gladon closed in on John Brayford’s back header and there was a nifty bit of footwork from Ikeme as he was closed down in clearing the ball.
Albion were awarded a penalty in in the 20th minute when Stearman was penalised for hands. It looked a harsh decision but, to the relief of then fans behind his goal, Ikeme guessed correctly diving to his right to save Lucas Akins spot kick.
A cross-shot from Dyer flew through the home goalmouth taking a deflection as it went out for a corner at the far post, and after Joao Teixeira had dribbled his way into the Burton box, his low drive was saved by McLoughlin.
Five minutes before the break Ben Turner was booked for a foul on Costa. Gladon’s glancing header from Teixeira’s free-kick was too high.
Then some good work by Costa created a chance for Cavaleiro but McLoughlin was equal to the new man’s low drive.
Half-Time; Wolves 0 Burton 0
Stearman was an early yellow card victim after he had fouled Akins near the corner flag. Matthew Palmer’s free-kick was headed onto the roof of the net by Jackson Irvine.
Albion’s Tom Naylor was the next man to be yellow carded after an untidy tackle on Oniangue,
Stearman was close with a header following a Teixeira free-kick and the Portuguese midfielder was withdrawn shortly afterwards with Joe Mason taking his place.
In the 62nd minute a Cavaleiro corner was nodded down by Stearman to Costa who hammered a short, low cross into the six-yard box with the ball bouncing away to safety. Moments later Costa went down under a challenge and was promptly booked for simulation.
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson was sent on in place of Gladon in the 70th minute and at the same time Burton replaced Akins with Hamza Choudhury.
Bodvarsson almost had an immediate impact but couldn’t get enough behind his header after a cross from Borthwick-Jackson.
Wolves were getting closer and when Costa returned Borthwick-Jackson’s cross back into the middle, the ball struck Kyle McFadzean and flew behind for a corner.
Mason was off target after Cavaleiro’s corner had been nodded down to him, and Choudhury dragged the ball wide when he latched onto a half clearance on the edge of the Wolves box.
After Miller had replaced Jamie Ward for the visitors, Wolves finally made the breakthrough with 77 minutes gone. Bodvarsson worked his way into the box and when Mason played the all back to him, he crossed for Oniangue to blast the ball past McLoughlin from eight-yards (pictured).
Conor Coady became the third home player to go into the book after he too was accused of simulation as he chased a ball into the Burton box.
The game was in the fourth of six minutes of added time when Miller converted from six-yards following a low cross from Dyer.
In the dying seconds, Wolves won a free-kick to the right of the Burton area but McLoughlin plucked the ball out of the air in the overcrowded box and any chance of a late, late winner disappeared.
Wolves: Ikeme, Doherty, Borthwick-Jackson, Coady, Stearman, Batth (capt), Oniangue, Costa, Gladon (Bodvarsson 70), Teixeira (Mason 60), Cavaleiro (Edwards 83).
Unused subs: Lonergan, Wallace, Iorfa, Price.
Bookings: Stearman (51 – foul), Costa (64 – simulation), Coady (81 – simulation).
Burton: McLoughlin, Irvine, McFadzean (capt), Turner, Brayford, Naylor (Harness 85), Ward (Miller 76), Dyer, O’Grady, Akins (Choudhury 71), Palmer.
Unused subs: Bywater, Williamson, McCrory, Beavon
Bookings: Turner (40 – foul), Naylor (53 – foul), Brayford (90+3 – unsporting behaviour).
Referee: J. Adcock.
Attendance: 22,049.
Wolves Academy Under 18s 3 (Giles, Allan, Samuels) Everton 3
