Shashoua double sinks Wolves

After a tough spell of late in the Premier League 2, our Under-23s deservedly bounced back to winning ways at Wolves in the rain on Saturday.

The team had gone six without a win in the competition - a run interspersed with impressive displays at Ipswich and Colchester in the Leasing.com Trophy - but this result never looked in doubt at Wolves' training complex about a mile away from Molineux.

Defensively sound with Tariq Hinds knitting things together at the base of midfield, our attacking players - Maurizio Pochettino, Armando Shashoua, Kion Etete and Shilow Tracey - caused the home team all sorts of problems, particularly in the first half. Shashoua scored twice and we could well have been out of reach by the break.

We stayed in control in the second half albeit with less chances created and the game had ticked into the final seconds of added time when Boubacar Hanne rifled home a consolation for Wolves.

Despite our possession and territorial advantage, Dion Sanderson had the first chance of note in the first half for Wolves on 15 minutes but headed a corner straight at Jonathan De Bie. It was one-way traffic from there as we carved out seven opportunities before the interval.

Etete, on his first start at this level, was inches away from Pochettino's cross on 22 minutes and a minute later, we took the lead. In for his first start of the season, Pochettino delivered again from the right, Andreas Sondergaard palmed as far as Shashoua who composed himself and drilled home low from 12 yards.

Tashan Oakley-Boothe's cross just evaded Etete and Pochettino and a lovely ping out from De Bie in to Etete led to Tracey being sent clear only for Sondergaard to save one-on-one. The coaching team urged the players to hit quality crosses into the box throughout and the second goal arrived via that route on 35 minutes.

This time Jubril Okedina - impressive at right-back on his 19th birthday - delivered from deeper looking for Etete, Songergaard rushed out, Sanderson headed back towards his own goal and as the ball rolled towards the empty net, Shashaou made sure by sliding it over the line. Tracey fired wide and then over from another Pochettino cross but Wolves had the final word of the half when De Bie palmed out Yang Ming-Yang's piledriver.

There were fewer chances in the second half as we managed the game well. TJ Eyoma and Shashoua opened it up for Tracey, who drilled wide on 57 minutes. Brooklyn Lyons-Foster then exchanged three one-twos on an 80-yard break from one end to the other that ended with Sondergaard tipping over his shot. Oakley-Boothe delivered another cross that Etete headed straight at Sondergaard.

At the other end, Elliot Watt hit the inside of the post from a 30-yard free-kick but we were never under any sustained pressure. Wolves did register with seconds left when Hanne rifled into the corner from a set-piece, no more than a slight annoyance for Under-23s Coach Wayne Burnett and the players after an impressive job done.

Key moment

The only worry when you control matches like this is if you don't convert enough of your chances so having taken the lead, we'll have to say the key moment was Shashoua's second goal after Wolves made a hash of Okendina's cross on 35 minutes. That gave the team a cushion and meant when Wolves scored in the final seconds it wasn't costly in terms of points.

Coach's view

Wayne Burnett said: "We dominated the ball at times, showed some good play and got into some good areas. I'm a little disappointed that having got into so many good positions, we didn't capitalise with more attempts on target and possibly more goals. I'm also disappointed with their goal right at the end because we deserved a clean sheet. Having said that, there were some good performances. Collectively, out of possession, we pressed well and didn't give them much time and space and the players stuck to the game plan and in the end, that prevailed. I'm pleased with how hard we worked out of possession, disappointed that we got into some key areas and didn't capitalise."

Match data

Goals: Wolves - Hanne 90+4; Spurs - Shashoua 23, 35.

Yellow card: Wolves - Watt 68.

Referee: Aaron Jackson.

Venue: Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground, Wolverhampton.

Weather: Rain, rain and more rain!