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stevemadeley78.bsky.social
Football writer for The Athletic FC, focusing mainly on Wolves. Father of two, lover of cricket.
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Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth & Mary Shelley: a fascinating coach at a developing club in a town with some buried treasures. www.nytimes.com/athletic/614...

Wolves awaiting results of an MRI scan to learn the extent of Goncalo Guedes' knee injury. Agbadou, Rodrigo Gomes and Hwang still out for tomorrow's game. #WWFC

From superfluous to pivotal and with a penchant for celebrating goal kicks - a piece on Andre and how he embodied Wolves’ spirit on Saturday. #WWFC www.nytimes.com/athletic/615...

From superfluous to pivotal and with a penchant for celebrating goal kicks - a piece on Andre and how he embodied Wolves’ spirit on Saturday. #WWFC www.nytimes.com/athletic/615...

FULL TIME BOURNEMOUTH 0-1 WOLVES Massive win for Wolves in a weekend when Leicester and Ipswich (and Southampton) were beaten badly. They didn't play at all well with an extra man in the second half but they defended their box well and got the job done somehow after a pretty good 1st half. #WWFC

Wolves break and Lima draws a save from Kepa. Corner. #WWFC

Doherty booked for fouling Kerkez and Bournemouth have a free-kick on a dangerous wide area. #WWFC

6 minutes of added time. #WWFC

Cunha off. Doyle on. Less than 2 minutes of the 90 to play. #WWFC

6 minutes plus added time to play. Wolves look like a bag of nerves whenever Bournemouth get into the final third but they're so close now to a huge 3 points. #WWFC

In fact, Cunha stays on and it's Bellegarde who makes way for Sarabia. Lima on for Ait-Nouri so Semedo switches to left wing-back. #WWFC

Lima and Sarabia ready to come up. Ait-Nouri down injured and not sure Cunha is moving altogether freely. #WWFC

Wolves not managing this game particularly well with the numerical advantage. We've just had a very nervous scramble inside their penalty area, and as long as it stays at 1-0 there might be a few more. Tensions clearly not eased by the knowledge of what's at stake. #WWFC

Now the change is made. Also, Alex Scott (remember him?) is on for Kluivert. #WWFC

In fact, Bueno still on as Djiga didn't have rings on his fingers properly taped up. Wolves bench furious. #WWFC

Djiga replaces Bueno. #WWFC

Djiga debut imminent. #WWFC

Big chance for 2-0 and, in all likelihood, game over. Semedo, Cunha, Larsen and Bellegarde are part of a quick counter that tees up Munetsi but he fires wide when he should hit the target. #WWFC

Wolves pretty much playing with a midfield 3 in the second half although Munetsi, who is operating to Andre's right, is pushing higher in possession than Bellegarde, who is operating to the left. That allows Cunha to drift to his favoured left-sided role. #WWFC

Strand Larsen on for the yellow-carded Gomes at HT. Second half underway. #WWFC

HALF TIME BOURNEMOUTH 0-1 WOLVES It was a good game at 11 v 11 and Bournemouth had been the better side overall. The red card changed things and Wolves now have a great opportunity for 3 precious points. #WWFC

Joao Gomes goes down claiming an elbow in the face from Lewis Cook. It wasn't. Not a great look from the Wolves midfielder. #WWFC

Joao Gomes booked now for a late tackle on the touchline. Home fans screaming for VAR but that's only ever going to be yellow. #WWFC

From Stockley Park. VAR is Stuart Attwell. #WWFC

Ball lofted in by Semedo, Huijsen makes a mess of it and it drops for Cunha, who takes his time to place a shot past Kepa. VAR checks for something (maybe handball?) but the goal stands. #WWFC

GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL. Cunha. 0-1. #WWFC

Bournemouth respond with Quattara having a shot that Sa pushes around the near post. #WWFC

Massive controversy here, certainly in Bournemouth's eyes, as Zabarnyi is sent off. He went in on Ait-Nouri and got the ball with one foot but the other was high and got Ait-Nouri's ankle simultaneously. In the olden days it's not even a foul but in 2025 they are often red cards. #WWFC

Possible sending off here for a high tackle. Zabarnyi already booked, which Bournemouth were furious about. #WWFC

Kerkez booked after upending Gomes on the edge of the box. Not sure whether the booking was for the foul or his protest. #WWFC

Sa makes himself big to block a shot by Justin Kluivert after Wolves lose the ball cheaply again. Could have been Peter Schmeicel v Patrick Kluivert, that. #WWFC

Pereira shouting at his coaching staff after Joao Gomes fails to get hold of a pass by Andre. Gomes has looked a touch off the pace early on. #WWFC

Wolves have improved since this chance. Kepa has made a decent save from Cunha and Toti has headed just over from a free-kick. #WWFC

Big chance for Wolves out of nowhere as Bellegarde breaks and finds Semedo, whose low shot hits the post. Bellegarde then strikes a follow-up well but Kepa makes a really good save. #WWFC

Let-off for Wolves as a loose pass by Andre triggers a Bournemouth break and Sa saves at the near post. Wolves unable to keep the ball or get out of their own half in the early stages. #WWFC

Early booking for Bueno for a trip on Tavernier. #WWFC

Underway #WWFC

Teams out here. Wolves in all gold again (Bournemouth in black shorts). #WWFC

Alfie Pond on the Wolves bench (albeit behind Djiga in the pecking order) kind of sums up where Dawson stands. He's still registered with Wolves so technically available but it's almost impossible to see a way back. #WWFC

3 changes for Wolves from the team that started against Liverpool. Agbadou and Guedes injured and Sarabia benched. Bueno, Bellegarde and Munetsi start. Strand Larsen & Johnstone back among the subs. #WWFC

Wins against Leicester, Man Utd and Villa were huge but yesterday's second half at Anfield was Wolves as Vitor Pereira imagines them. It is a blueprint for the future. #WWFC @theathleticfc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/614...

Rapturous reception from the traveling fans for their team despite defeat. Pereira greets them with fists in the air as if to rally them for the battles ahead. First time on record that Liverpool have failed to have a shot in an entire half in the Premier League at Anfield. #WWFC

FULL TIME LIVERPOOL 2-1 WOLVES Such a shame about those few moments of defensive chaos in the 1st half because other than that Wolves played really well. The game ended with The Kop celebrating clearances and Alisson catches wildly, which tells you everything about Wolves in the 2nd half. #WWFC

Lima on for Semedo. #WWFC

A minute of normal time to go and Liverpool have had 0 shots in the second half. Fantastic effort from Wolves, albeit in a losing cause as it stands. #WWFC

Doyle replaces Joao Gomes. #WWFC

Robertson gestures to The Kop to calm down, which is a measure of how rattled Liverpool are right now. 15 minutes remaining. #WWFC

Nice drag-back pass by Bellegarde finds Cunha in space 20 yards out. He shifts it onto his left foot and curls a superb shot around Alisson. Liverpool had become nervy in the previous 10 minutes. Do they now get shocked into action of get even nervier? #WWFC

GOOOOOAAAAAAAL. Cunha. 1-2. #WWFC

Yep. No penalty. Our replay screen has broken so I can offer nothing! More importantly for Wolves, Agbadou has pulled something and is coming off. Santi Bueno replacing him. #WWFC