Sky Bet Championship team preview: Wolverhampton Wanderers

Ahead of Saturday's season opener bwfc.co.uk look at Wolves in our final team preview

Wolverhampton Wanderers
Home ground: Molineux
Capacity: 31,700
Head coach: Kenny Jackett
2014/15 league position: 7th
2014/15 top goalscorer: Nouha Dicko/Bakary Sako (15 in all competitions)

Last a Premier League side in 2012, only an inferior goal difference cost Wolverhampton Wanderers a Championship play-off place last season as they continued to bounce back from back-to-back relegations to the third tier. 

Returning to the second tier as 2014 League One Champions, Kenny Jackett’s side start the season in impressive form as they won four of their first five league matches and lost just two of their first 15 fixtures.

However, a five-game losing streak in November disrupted their progress as they slipped into the bottom half of the table and lost ground on the play-off places.

Responding with an eight-game unbeaten run heading into the new year, the West-Midlands club were boosted by the signing Benik Afobe from Arsenal in January.

The former Bolton Wanderers loanee would finish the campaign with 13 goals from 21 appearances for Wolves, having already netted 19 during the first half of the season when on loan with MK Dons.

With Nouha Dicko and Bakary Sako also finishing the year with 15 goals apiece, the club were never short of goals during the season, yet it was still not enough as they narrowly missed out on a play-off place to Ipswich Town come the final day of the season.

Losing just three of their 13 matches from February to mid-April, back-to-back away defeats to Birmingham City and Middlesbrough came out the worst time for Wolves.

And while they would bounce back by winning their final two games, even putting four past relegated Millwall on the final day, it was not enough to overhaul Ipswich as they fell just short of the top six.

Keen to once again challenge for promotion back to the Premier League, Wolves’ relegation to League One in 2013 now remains a distant memory.

If Jackett’s side are successful in their bid to once again reach the top-flight, supporters will hope that their darkest hour was just the springboard they needed to reach the top. 

FIXTURES V BOLTON IN 2015/16

Saturday 12 September 2015 – 3pm kick-off at Macron Stadium

Saturday 30 January 2016 – 3pm kick-off at Molineux


RESULTS V BOLTON IN 2014/15

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Bolton Wanderers – 20/9/2014 - (CLICK HERE for highlights)

Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers – 31/1/2015 - (CLICK HERE for highlights)
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