Dexter Lembikisa’s powerful driven effort late in the game was enough for Wolves under-21s to get their first win of their Premier League 2 Division 1 campaign as James Collins’ men saw off Blackburn Rovers.
Unlike their opening game of the campaign against Chelsea six days previously, a more experienced looking Wolves were in control for much of the contest in Leyland and could have taken an early lead when Nathan Fraser – the side’s scorer against Chelsea last time out – found space inside the box and played a clever shot on the turn, but his effort flew just wide of the post.
Matching the first-team, the under-21s have also switched to a back four this season, and it was Wolves who came closest to opening the scoring firstly through Connor Ronan, who let fly from distance, before Luke Cundle pulled a good stop from Blackburn goalkeeper Joe Hilton.
The midfielder, playing on the right side of the forward line, was picked out in space inside the penalty area by Chem Campbell and aimed an effort towards the bottom right corner, but the keeper managed to get a strong palm to push the ball away, and no gold shirt was on the follow up and able to reach the rebound.
Blackburn had spells during the first 40 minutes where they put Wolves under pressure, but those in gold and black dealt comfortably with the attacks and left Andreas Sondergaard largely untroubled.
But the final five minutes before the break saw Blackburn get on top of the visitors, with Sam Burns fire a long-range effort narrowly wide, before Sondergaard had to be at his best to deny Jared Harlock with a strong hand when the Blackburn man had got through one-on-one.
Half-time | Blackburn 0 Wolves 0
Despite Blackburn coming out of the break strongly, it was their opposition who should have broken the deadlock first through Campbell when the gold shirts quickly countered from a Rover’s corner, but the Welsh winger was unable to keep an effort from flying over the crossbar having been played in on goal by Cundle following a bursting run from Yerson Mosquera.
The first half hour of the second-half passed without major incident or effort on goal, but with 15 minutes of the match remaining, Blackburn were appealing for a penalty when Lenni Cirino tumbled inside the penalty area having raced past substitute Lembikisa, but the referee was unmoved.
Wolves’ captain Joe Hodge then linked up well with Cundle and Ronan with neat, one-touch passing, and having found himself in the penalty area, he aimed an effort at goal, but with blue and white shirts around him, his first attempt was blocked, but then Hilton was able to gather the ball at Hodge’s second attempt.
The visitors continued to get themselves into good areas as the game wore on, but their finishing was not matching their build-up play, with Ronan the latest to fire off target from a decent position after Mosquera saw his header from a Ronan corner blocked.
With five minutes remaining, another quick Wolves counter did end up with the ball in the back of the net, as Harvey Griffiths picked out Cundle on the edge of the box, who turned to find Lembikisa to his right and having taken one touch to control, he lashed a right-footed effort across goal and beyond Hilton.
Griffiths then lashed a long-range effort well wide of the post in the final minutes, but it mattered not, as Lembikisa's effort was enough to see Wolves get their Division 1 campaign off and running on the road.
Half-time | Blackburn 0 Wolves 1
COMING UP
The under-21’s season continues a week on Monday, as James Collins’ side host Brighton & Hove Albion at Aggborough. Once again, the game will be unable to be live streamed due to the Premier League meeting of Manchester United and Liverpool taking place at the same time.
NEXT FIVE
22/08 Brighton & Hove Albion (H)
26/08 Crystal Palace (A)
30/08 Shrewsbury Town (A) PJT
05/09 Fulham (H)
09/09 Everton (H)
TEAMS
Blackburn | Hilton, Rankin-Costello (Pike 37), Annesley, Pratt, Cirino, Garrett, Harlock, Gent, Markanday (Walker 71), Leonard, Burns.
Unused subs | Saadi, Eastham, Weston.
Wolves | Sondergaard, Birtwistle (Lembikisa 66), Mosquera, Marques (Hubner 66), Bueno, Griffiths, Ronan, Hodge, Cundle (Scicluna 88), Campbell, Fraser (Harkin 77).
Unused sub | Tipton.
