Southampton 0
Wolves 0
A lively game against Southampton at St Mary's ended in stalemate with neither side able to conjure up a goal although home stopper Kelvin Davis was the busier of the two keepers.
Mick McCarthy made just one change to the side that had drawn with Bristol City with Freddy Eastwood taking the place up front of Jay Bothroyd who took a place on the bench.
Wolves started brightly and won two early corners. The first came about after a pinpoint crossfield pass from Seyi Olofinjana picked out Michael Kightly on the right. The winger cut into the Saints area but his cross was headed behind by Wayne Thomas.
Kightly's flag-kick was cleared only as far as Stephen Ward and his attempted cross cannoned behind off Phil Ifil. Again Kightly took the kick but this time the home defence cleared its lines.
With 19 minutes gone the alarm bells were ringing for Wolves when Wayne Hennessey picked up Darren Ward's firmly struck back pass on the six-yard line.
The referee awarded an indirect free-kick and ten of the Wanderers team positioned themselves across the goal line. Grzegorz Rasiak touched the free-kick to Rudi Skacel but the wall quickly closed him down and the ball bounced clear to safety.
Neill Collins was then shown the yellow card after he had tripped Jhon Viafara on the Southampton right.
Andy Keogh played Stephen Ward in on the overlap and his low cross flew through to the far side of the area where Kightly ran in to smash a first time shot over the bar.
Eastwood was wide with a powerful shot from 20-yards after he had beaten two defenders and, when Kevin Foley ventured forward from defence, he drove over the bar with another long distance effort.
When Davis dived to take a Keogh volley the ball bounced off the keeper's chest but no Wolves man was close enough forward to take advantage.
Kightly ran onto an angled pass from Keogh and delivered a centre that was headed goalwards by Stephen Ward but the ball was deflected behind off a defender for an unproductive corner.
Saints threatened when Andrew Davies headed over following a Rasiak corner before Darren Ward managed to get in the way of a Rasiak drive from just outside the visitors box.
An evenly contested half ended with two Rasiak corners in the two minutes of added time.
Half-Time: Saints 0 Wolves 0
There was a chance for each side in the five minutes after the resumption. Keogh sprinted in from the left and found Stephen Ward whose shot from the tightest of angles went behind off a defender.
Then Hennessey had to react smartly to push out Rasiak's shot from the 18-yard line.
The referee blocked Olofinjana's path to a Kightly pass allowing Viafara to grab possession and go on a run that ended with a fierce shot that wasn't too far away.
Within a minute Hennessey's goal came under threat again when Jason Euell's close range header following Nathan Dyer's cross was nodded clear from just in front of the line by Jody Craddock.
At the other end Kightly shrugged off his marker as he charged into the box but Davis reacted quickly to block. Then came a terrific effort from Olofinjana.
Stephen Ward played the ball back into the Nigerian's path and from 22-yards he hit a shot destined for the roof of the net until Davis made a superb fingertip save.
The keeper at his best again in the 66th minute when he dived full length to divert Eastwood's long range shot around the post.
In a frenetic finish to the game both teams had chances to snatch all three points.
Andrew Surman fired narrowly over with an angled shot then, with two minutes remaining, Bothroyd, who had come on Keogh, overpowered Davies and looked a certain scorer only for Davis to pull off another fine save.
The loose ball ran out to Darren Potter whose dipping shot from outside the box skimmed the roof of the net.
In stoppage time Hennessey blocked from Euell who was clean through, and then the Welsh keeper dived to claim a well struck shot from Christian Dailly.
Saints: Davis, Ifil, Davies, Thomas (capt), Skacel, Dyer (Surman 56), Viafara, Dailly, Euell, Wright-Phillips (Hammill 81), Rasiak (Saganowski 64).
Unused subs: Bialkowski, Idiakez.
Wolves: Hennessey, Foley, D. Ward, Craddock (capt), N. Collins, Kightly (Jarvis 72), Olofinjana, Henry, S. Ward (Potter 77), Keogh (Bothroyd 83), Eastwood.
Unused subs: Stack, Little.
Booking: N. Collins (22 - foul).
Referee: D. Deadman.
Attendance: 19,856.
