Wolves moved further clear at the top of Nationwide League Division One today following a 4-1 win at Stockport and a rare off day for their title rivals Manchester City. Wolves went five points out in front after their dismissal of the rock-bottom Hatters at Edgeley Park where Mark Kennedy - in the 28th and 72nd minutes - and Dean Sturridge each scored twice, the latter netting from open play just before half-time after getting Wolves under way from the penalty spot.
Stockport, cast adrift at the bottom, were down to 10 men once Robert Clare was red-carded for the foul on the quarter-hour which led to Sturridge's penalty. Luke Beckett's 33rd-minute effort gave the hosts only fleeting hope.
While Kevin Keegan's City team were surprisingly unable to break a 0-0 deadlock with Walsall at the Bescot Stadium, West Brom kept up with the championship pace and moved into third after a 5-0 win at home to Portsmouth. Their goals came from Jason Roberts - in the eighth and 80th minutes – Larus Sigurdsson (24), Scott Dobie (38) and Igor Balis on the stroke of half-time.
Promotion-chasing Millwall came unstuck at home to mid-table Wimbledon, for whom Kevin Cooper scored the only goal of the game on the quarter-hour mark. But Burnley and Coventry both won to stay in the thick of the chasing pack. The Sky Blues inflicted a 4-0 hammering on strugglers Barnsley at Highfield Road where David Thompson (19 and 44) scored twice, Youssef Chippo was responsible for the fastest league goal of the day and Lee Mills completed the rout on the hour.
Stan Ternent's Clarets had goals from Gareth Taylor (20) and Alan Moore (58) to thank in a 2-1 win away to Crewe, for whom Rob Hulse netted the consolation in the 63rd minute.
Birmingham kept their cool in the face of a Watford fightback to bank three points towards the promotion push in a 3-2 win at St Andrews. Darren Purse (21) and Tommy Mooney, in the 42nd minute and then the 53rd from the penalty spot, put the Blues in charge only for Watford to make them sweat - with one back just before the hour from Jermaine Pennant and then Michael Johnson's injury-time own goal.
Crystal Palace's promotion hopes took a dent when Michael Brown popped up with the goal on the hour which gave Sheffield United a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park. But Sheffield Wednesday could not make it a double for the Steel City, going down 2-1 in their South Yorkshire derby with Rotherham at Hillsborough. Richard Barker got the 90th-minute winner for the visitors, after the Owls' Shefki Kuqi (70) had equalised Alan Lee's opener early in the second half.
Relegation candidates Grimsby eked out a 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest, while Bradford made a mockery of their moderate form this season with a 4-0 win at Gillingham. Danny Cadamarteri, on loan from Everton, marked his debut for his hometown club with a goal in the 68th minute. But the Bantams already had the points in the bag, via strikes from Ashley Ward (38) and Jamie Lawrence (45) after an own goal from Mark Patterson had set them on their way in the eighth minute.
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
