Stoke City 0 Wolves 0 – Report and pictures
Wolves drew 0-0 for the third successive game as they drew a blank against Stoke City.
In a first half of little action Wolves created a few half chances but couldn't break the deadlock.
Ryan Giles went close in the second half when his low shot was diverted wide and then young forward Benny Ashley-Seal struck a low shot against the post.
Rui Patricio made two excellent saves to keep Wolves' clean sheet in tact as it finished 0-0 in Staffordshire.
Analysis
That's three pre-season matches without conceding a goal...but also three without scoring one, writes Tim Spiers at the bet365 Stadium.
Yes Sunday's H-Hotels Cup was split into two 45-minute fixtures but there's no escaping the fact that since the 4-0 demolition of Young Boys in Switzerland, Wolves have gone a little goal-shy.
A Ruben Neves penalty is all they've mustered in the last 270 minutes and while every single sentence in this analysis could be signing off with the phrase 'but it's only pre-season', there will still be a slight concern for Nuno in how his team have lost the fluency and creativity they showed in two matches in Switzerland.
They had the better of this Midlands fixture, which some (i.e. the Express & Star) dubbed the Benik Afobe Derby and came closest through two youngsters – Ryan Giles' excellent effort was well saved and Benny Ashley-Seal struck a post.
At the other end Rui Patricio offered a hint of his shot-stopping prowess when keeping two goal-bound efforts out with top-drawer saves.
And that was about it. Little to glean from this regulation pre-season encounter, other than Wolves still look to be a couple of players short.
With Joao Moutinho, Jonny Castro and a couple more besides yet to join the party, that still leaves them in good nick ahead of August 11.
Match report
New signing Jonny Castro was on the bench for Wolves but fellow new boy Joao Moutinho wasn't involved. Neither was Barry Douglas – who's in talks over a move to Leeds United after Wolves accepted a bid.
But Leo Bonatini was back in the squad after an injury problem and Ryan Giles was handed another chance to impress at left wing back in an XI that saw some first team regulars left out with Saturday's trip to Derby in mind.
There was a very familiar face in the Stoke line up with Benik Afobe playing against his parent club. Afobe is technically on loan with the Potters until January when they have an obligation to pay £12m and make the deal permanent.
Stoke fielded new signings Tom Ince and James McClean, who joined from Huddersfield and West Brom respectively this week in £10m and £5m deals.
There were a few predictable boos for McClean who saw plenty of the ball early on as Stoke made the better start without threatening Wolves. Their only action came via the head of Afobe who sent a couple of set pieces off target.
At the other end Raul Jimenez, Afobe's replacement in the Wolves squad, was producing some tidy link-up play and he was almost through on goal after a slack Stoke back pass, before Bruno Martins Indi out-muscled him and cleared.
The Mexican then found some space in the Stoke box before teeing up Helder Costa whose curling effort led to an easy save for new Potters keeper Adam Federici.
There was then a mini glut of half chances for Nuno's team – a free kick caused pandemonium with Federici blocking a shot, then Ryan Bennett glanced a header off target and Diogo Jota prodded a long through ball at the keeper.
That was Jota's last action with Ivan Cavaleiro replacing him on the half hour mark in what looked like a pre-planned change. Cavaleiro had been warming up for 10 minutes and Jota certainly wasn't injured, as proved by him sprinting up and down the touch-line for a warm down before half time.
That was the only action worth watching for the rest of the half in what was a pre-season friendly befitting of the title.
Wolves kicked off the second half attacking the end where around 2,000 travelling shirt-sleeved fans were housed at a sun-kissed bet365 Stadium, which was half closed.
Nuno had made four half time changes – Rui Patricio, Romain Saiss, Pedro Goncalves and Bonatini for John Ruddy, Bennett, Morgan Gibbs-White and Jimenez.
Wolves came closest to breaking the deadlock soon after when one of the stars of their pre-season Giles cut in from the left, sped past his man and arrowed a vicious low strike across goal which Federici pushed wide.
Patricio was then twice called into action to make a couple of top-notch saves, first when pushing a stinging 25-yard drive from Moritz Bauer wide and then when blocking a rasping volley from Etebo.
A raft of substitutions followed with Danny Batth, Oskar Buur Rasmussen, Cameron John, Elliot Watt, Benny Ashley-Seal and Bright Enobakhare sent on. Substitute Cavaleiro was substituted and Hause the only man to start to stay on the field.
Skipper Batth almost made it 1-0 shortly afterwards when powering a header inches wide from a floated Goncalves free kick.
And then young forward Ashley-Seal ran from deep before striking low, left-footed and against the foot of the post from 18 yards with a great attempt.
That was the last proper goalmouth action as a gentle game drew to a close with a whimper.
Teams
Stoke City (4-1-4-1): Federici; Bauer, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Fletcher (Berahino, 72); Ince (Bojan, 45), Badou (Etebo, 45), Allen (Cameron, 72), McClean (Diouf, 45); Afobe (Crouch, 45). Subs: Haugaard, Bursik; Choupo-Moting, Imbula, Edwards, Sorensen, Souttar.
Wolves (3-4-3): John Ruddy (Patricio, 45); Bennett (Saiss, 45), Coady (c) (Batth, 64), Hause; Doherty (Rasmussen, 64), Neves (Watt, 64), Gibbs-White (Goncalves, 45), Giles (John, 64); Costa (Ashley-Seal, 64), Jimenez (Bonatini, 45), Jota (Cavaleiro, 32) (Enobakhare, 64). Sub: Norris, Jonny.
Attendance: 9,122 (2,075 Wolves fans)
Referee: Steve Martin
Next up
More Championship opposition from the Midlands are next up on Saturday in the form of Frank Lampard's Derby County. Kick off at Pride Park is 3pm.
Wolves then end their pre-season campaign at home to Villarreal on August 4.
