Football: Veart revels in Palace parade

Round-up

After threatening to make the second promotion place from the First Division their own, Wolves slumped at home yet again. Nearly 26,000 people at Molineux saw Crystal Palace win 3-0, Wolves' seventh home defeat.

After Steve Bull hit the Palace bar in the fifth minute, the visitors took charge. David Tuttle headed in Carl Veart's cross in the 16th minute, Palace soaked up pressure and made the game safe with two goals in as many minutes midway through the second half, Veart and Bruce Dyer doing the damage.

"I am convinced the game was just a blip," Mark McGhee, the Wolves manager, said. "We didn't perform at all. We were always half-paced. But I'm not worried at all that we'll be the same next week when we go to play Barnsley. It will only be disturbing if we lose more games and I don't think that is likely."

Speaking of Barnsley, a disputed 90th-minute equaliser by John Hendrie, his second of the game, gave them a point from a 2-2 draw at The Valley where Charlton must have thought they had the win bonus in their wallets when on-loan substitute Jason Lee gave them a 2-1 lead with only two minutes left. But Hendrie back-heeled his 13 goal of the season, which Athletic claimed did not cross the line. Barnsley are second, ahead of Wolves on goal difference.

After two successive defeats, the First Division leaders Bolton were held to a 2-2 home draw by Sheffield United but go 10 points clear. Mixu Paatelainen's flick gave Wanderers a fourth-minute lead in his first game of the season but the Blades were level within three minutes through Jan Age Fjortoft. Chris Fairclough restored Bolton's lead with a powerful header but the Blades were level again nine minutes into the second half through Petr Kachuro's header.

Ronnie Whelan, reinstated as Southend manager after last week's fracas at Maine Road, saw his side beat Stoke 2-1 at Roots Hall thanks to Andy Rammell's 89th-minute winner. "It's been a funny old week," Whelan philosophised. "But I don't want to dwell on the past. My main concern is that Southend steer clear of relegation and on the evidence of this display I am optimistic we will."

Paul Peschisolido scored a hat-trick as West Brom won 4-2 at Norwich, Ray Harford's first away match in charge. "I thought 4-2 flattered them," he said. "We should have been three or four goals clear. I explained one or two things to them and we then proceeded to take them to the cleaners."