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Live Commentary: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Birmingham City - as it happened

Sports Mole provides live text coverage of today's Championship clash between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City at Molineux.
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Wolverhampton Wanderers hosted Midlands rivals Birmingham City at Molineux earlier this evening.

Both sides had made disappointing starts to the Championship campaign and knew that they would remain in the bottom half of the table regardless of the game's result.

Wolves went into the match on the back of a morale-boosting 4-1 victory at Bristol City last week, which ended their nine-game winless run.

Meanwhile, Birmingham had won just once in their last six away fixtures.

Find out how the action unfolded below with Sports Mole's blow-by-blow text coverage.


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Wolves starting XI: Carl Ikeme; Stephen Ward, Roger Johnson, Christophe Berra, Kevin Foley; Karl Henry, Bakary Sako; Tongo Hamed Doumbia; Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Bjorn Sigurdarson, Kevin Doyle

Birmingham starting XI:Jack Butland; Steven Caldwell, Curtis Davies, Jonathan Spector, Paul Caddis, Paul Robinson; Hayden Mullins, Wade Elliott, Nathan Redmond; Marlon King, Robert Hall

Wolves subs: Dorus De Vries, Richard Stearman, Danny Batth, Jermaine Pennant, David Davis, Anthony Forde, Frank Nouble

Birmingham subs: Colin Doyle, Will Packwood, Mitch Hancox, Chris Burke, Ravel Morrison, Papa Bouba Diop, Peter Lovenkrands

Wolves boss Stale Solbakken keeps the faith in the 4-3-3 formation that proved so successful at Ashton Gate last week. Meanwhile, Birmingham are forced into making changes after Nikola Zigic and Pablo Ibanez failed late fitness tests.

I'm predicting a narrow and scrappy win for Wolves. Let's find out if I am right - kickoff is moments away.

Wolves get the game underway.

Roared on by a lively home crowd, the hosts come forward straight away. Ebanks-Blake finds space down the right, but his cross is poor and is easily gathered by goalkeeper Butland.

Birmingham winger Elliot earns the game's first corner, but it is poorly delivered by the Irishman and Wolves clear.

It looks as though this match is going to be a very physical battle. Judging by the way that they have started the game, I can see Sigurdarson and Doyle getting quite a bit of joy out of the Birmingham defence.

Birmingham go close! Sako takes a heavy touch in his own half and possession is gathered by Caddis. The Scottish full-back fires at goal from 25 yards and is denied by a fingertip save from Ikeme. Wolves clear the loose ball.

The visitors are enjoying a lot of the ball at the moment and, as a result, the home crowd have settled down somewhat.

Doyle plays a lofted through-ball into the path of Ebanks-Blake, who is just about to shoot from 10 yards until Davies denies him with a perfectly-time sliding tackle.

Wolves hit the woodwork! Sako charges at the Birmingham defence down the left. He then pulls the ball back from the byline to Sigurdarson, whose side-footed effort clips off the outside of the post on its way wide.

Birmingham have not scored a goal in the first 15 minutes of a match all season.

Henry brings down Redmond. Birmingham have a free kick 30 yards out.

The delivery is dangerous, but Johnson does well to flick the ball behind for a corner.

From the corner, King tees up Davies, who slams high and wide from the edge of the area.

Caddis comes forward again. This time he slides the ball into the path of Hall, who fires it against Berra for another Birmingham corner.

Captain Henry leads by example and heads clear at the far post.

There have been just four goals scored in the last four meetings between these two sides. I don't think that it would be much of a surprise if this game was to finish 1-0.

Penalty shout! Doyle flicks on and finds Ebanks-Blake, who turns Davies before going to ground. Referee Anthony Taylor waves away the Wolves appeals. Correct decision.

Goal disallowed! Doyle puts the ball in the net for Wolves, but it will not count. The Irishman was just offside when Sigurdarson flicked the ball into his path.

GOAL FOR WOLVES - Marlon King own goal - Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Birmingham City

Wolves win a free kick on the right edge of the area, close to the byline. Sako fires the ball in low and hard. King raises his right knee, the ball hits it and deflects into the goal at the near post.

King is tripped by Berra 25 yards from the Wolves goal. Hall takes the resultant free kick, shooting just wide.

Birmingham's attacking play seems to be lacking intelligence at present. The Blues keep pumping long balls forward, which Berra and Johnson are having no problem heading clear.

Yellow card! Johnson and Henry both go sliding in on Elliott. Johnson is nowhere near the ball and is rightly booked. Free kick to the Blues, 20 yards out.

King's low effort deflects off the wall and goes behind for a corner.

Yellow card! From the corner, Doumbia wins the ball in his own penalty area and launches a counter-attack. The Mali international finds Sako, who is hauled down by Robinson. The former Bolton Wanderers full-back has now been booked four times this season.

Half time: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Birmingham City

Click here to read Barney Corkhill's half-time report

Wolves lead at the break, despite failing to record a single shot on target. The home side have registered two attempts at goal, while Birmingham have made six attempts, three of which have been on target.

Birmingham have edged possession so far with 56%.

Wolves have committed eight fouls - two more than Birmingham.

All four of the game's corner kicks have been taken by the away side.

Substitution for Birmingham: Morrison replaces Spector.

Birmingham kick off and the second half begins.

Awful mistake from Davies. The former West Brom defender attempts to nod the ball back to his goalkeeper, but Sigurdarson, who is standing just behind him, collects possession and jogs through on goal. The visitors then breath a huge sigh of relief as the flag is raised for offside.

Wolves go close! Caddis concedes a cheap corner, which Sako whips in from the left. Doyle flicks on at the near post to Berra, who volleys over the bar from close range.

First contribution from Morrison. The on-loan West Ham youngster jinks in from the left and shoots straight at Ikeme from the edge of the penalty area.

Great run from Doyle. He beats two players before shooting just wide from 25 yards. Wolves have started the second half very well.

Chance for Wolves! Sako fires in a low cross from the left to Ebanks-Blake, whose shot from six yards is blocked by Caldwell and hacked clear by Davies.

Sako speeds forward again. This time he jinks inside and shoots himself, but his powerful effort crashes over the bar.

Wolves go close! Ward miskicks his cross and almost gets lucky, but Butland claws the ball behind for a corner.

Wolves hit the woodwork again! Sako's corner deflects off Davies's bum and strikes the corner of the crossbar. Very nearly another own goal!

Chance for Wolves! After a brief goalmouth scramble, the ball falls to Doyle eight yards out. The Irishman loses his balance at the crucial moment and drags his left-foot effort just wide.

Chance for Wolves! The hosts win a corner on the left. Sako swings it in to the near post, where Sigurdarson flicks at goal with a diving header. Butland does very well to parry clear.

Substitution for Birmingham: Lovenkrands replaces Redmond.

Lovenkrands is immediately into the action as he turns away from Johnson inside the Wolves penalty area. Johnson recovers well and executes a fantastic last-ditch tackle keep his side ahead.

Wolves have gone 10 games without keeping a clean sheet, but they are just 15 minutes away from ending that run.

Substitution for Wolves: Davis replaces Doumbia.

Wolves win a corner on the left, but Sako's fizzing delivery is headed to safety.

Final substitution for Birmingham: Burke replaces Hall.

Wolves were a little fortunate to be leading at half time, however they have been much the better side after the break.

Substitution for Wolves: Pennant replaces Ebanks-Blake.

Yellow card! Mullins is booked for a late challenge on Doyle. The defender will now be suspended for next weekend's match against Crystal Palace.

Doyle brilliantly controls a long ball on his chest, before turning and playing in Sigurdarson. The Iceland international looks to be clean through, before Caldwell gets back just in time to deny him an effort at goal.

The fourth official's board shows three added minutes.

Burke's cross deflects off Ward and goes behind for a corner to Birmingham. Forward comes the goalkeeper Butland!

Burke's corner finds the head of Davies, who heads over from six yards. That should be all she wrote!

Full time: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Birmingham City

Wolves win at home for the first time since September and climb to 16th in the Championship table.

The hosts recorded 12 shots in the seconds half - eight more than Birmingham.

Birmingham dominated possession in the first half. However, Wolves kept the ball much better in the second period and the final possession stats show that Solbakken's side had 51% over the 90 minutes.

Thanks for joining Sports Mole for today's match. See you again soon.

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