Wolves 2 Viktoria Plzen 1 - Report and pictures
Wolves continued their winning start to life under Nuno Espirito Santo with a 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen.
Nouha Dicko continued his good start to the summer with his second goal in two games and wing back Matt Doherty added a second before half time.
Plzen pulled one back in the second half but in a game of few clear cut chances Wolves saw the game through fairly comfortably.
They again utilised the 3-4-3 formation they've been working intensely on in training but there were a few alterations to the XI that beat Werder Bremen 1-0.
In came John Ruddy, Ryan Bennett, Roderick Miranda, David Edwards, Joe Mason and Dicko.
Wing backs Doherty and Barry Douglas stayed the same, while new cult hero Willy Boly, Jack Price and Ivan Cavaleiro kept their starting places.
Kortney Hause again missed out with the knock that's kept him out of the two matches so far, but other than that Wolves were at full strength, with keepers Harry Burgoyne and Jack Ruddy the only other tour players not to feature during the 90 minutes.
Wolves began on the back foot with Champions League qualifiers Viktoria Plzen threatening via a couple of set pieces, and Bennett had to be alert to tidy up after mistakes from Douglas and Edwards.
And then on 16 minutes, slightly against the run of play, they broke the deadlock. Douglas played across the six yard box and that man Dicko scored his second goal in two pre-season appearances.
The striker enjoyed a productive half looking sharp and lively up front. With fans impatient for a new striker in the wake of Jon Dadi Bodvarsson's departure and a lack of goals from front-men last season, this was the perfect start to his pre-season.
Around 150 Wolves fans were enjoying themselves despite the very late change of venue, a 45-minute drive from where the game was supposed to be played.
They sang numerous (unprintable) songs about Boly in the first half and mixed in with the Jenbach supporters in what was a sunny, picturesque location in rural Austria.
Dicko had a shot blocked after good work from Mason and then Boly headed an inswinging Price cross wide as Wolves continued to improve.
Talking of Price, he again looked very comfortable in the 3-4-3 formation and ran the show in midfield.
Then on 31 minutes impressive Wolves doubled their lead. Cavaleiro made his way across the edge of the box and teed up Doherty who drilled a low first-time finish into the opposite corner.
That was that for the first half, with the well-oiled Wolves supporters gleefully reminding their opponents that they're supposed to be a Champions League team.
Nuno made six changes at half time, sending on Will Norris (for his Wolves debut), Danny Batth, Ruben Neves, Romain Saiss, Bright Enobakhare and Michal Zyro on for Ruddy, Doherty, Price, Edwards, Dicko and Mason, with Bennett moving to right wing back.
Cavaleiro, who was another to impress, teed up Zyro for the first chance of the half and he shot low at the keeper from 15 yards.
There was little goalmouth action to speak of and Nuno made four more changes on the hour with Aaron Simpson, Conor Coady, Connor Ronan and Sylvain Deslandes entering the fray.
Plzen then pulled a goal back when a corner to the back post was smashed home first time on the volley by Marek Bakos.
Zyro, who is back in the first team after 15 months out through injury, then had the ball in the net via a cute dink from Enobakhare's pass but was flagged offside.
Aside from a Deslandes cross that deflected to the keeper there was little of note to write home about in the second half. Wolves weren't as fluent as they'd become in the first but that wasn't helped by so many substitutions.
Zyro crossed for the busy Deslandes who didn't quite get hold of his low shot.
And that was that. Ronan, Enobakhare and Neves had their moments while Zyro looked sharper than on Wednesday and the defence restricted Plzen's threat to set pieces in what was a satisfactory afternoon in Westendorf.
Teams:
Wolves first half (3-4-3): John Ruddy; Bennett, Miranda, Boly; Doherty, Price, Edwards, Douglas; Mason, Dicko, Cavaleiro.
Wolves second half (3-4-3): Norris, Batth, Miranda, Boly (Coady, 60); Bennett (Simpson, 60), Neves, Saiss, Douglas (Deslandes, 60); Zyro, Enobakhare, Cavaleiro (Ronan, 60).
Goals: Dicko (16), Doherty (31)
