Wolves 3

Hamilton Parish 0

A menacing Wolves threw the First Division league title race wide open after sinking their fangs into newly crowned Dudley Eve champions Hamilton Parish before a large crowd at the Den yesterday.

The home team took the match by the scruff of the neck by capitalising twice in the first half through goals from striker Dane Simmons and the influential Keemo Smith, before college student Jason Davis added an insurance strike after the break that left the visitors for dead.

On the eve of yesterday's crucial battle Wolves manager Robert Thomas had rallied the troops for the cause. But not even Thomas could've predicted the relative ease with which Parish surrendered their previously umblemished league record without putting up much of a fight.

He said: "Our backs were up against the wall and so we had to win. This was a massive win for us and you really can't describe it in words.

"It was a necessity for us to win this game to keep us in the hunt. It was a shot of adrenalin for the entire team and now we have to keep pushing and playing as a team as we did today to achieve this big result."

The manner in which Wolves methodically removed the sting from Hot Peppers was nothing short of ruthless as the home team bagged maximum points to put their own league title aspirations back on track.

After both teams exchanged chances at opposite ends Wolves shifted gears and stormed ahead through the opportunistic Simmons who pounced at the near post to rifle home a rebound 'keeper Cymande Davis parried into the big striker's path.

Wolves' gamble to start with the injured Simmons had obviously paid off as it was his physical presence and purposeful running that eventually took a toll on a wobbly Parish defence.

Ten minutes on the home team doubled their lead when an unmarked Smith fired past the obscured Davis through a thicket of legs and suddenly Parish began to look anything but championship material. And the loss of player/coach Meshach Wade to an injured groin just before the half didn't help matters any.

But it all might have been different for the visitors had they taken their chances in the early going to force Wolves on the back foot. But they didn't and where Parish stumbled, Wolves prevailed.

Two goals to the good, Wolves continued to turn the screws in the second half and had it not been for the lineswoman's flag on two occasions might have come away with an even wider margin of victory as Parish's shoulders began to sag.

Simmons and the ever lethal Vince Minors Jr. both had goals disallowed as did Parish's Jamie Smith, whose cancelled-out header perhaps best summed up his team's dismal outing.

With their foot firmly on the gas, Wolves continued to hunt in packs in search of more goals. Minors went close when he scooped over the bar under pressure from the advancing Davis before Simmons stabbed the ball just wide of the far post from an angle.

Parish had another rare opportunity to get back in contention midway through the second half. But Peppers' veteran player Neil (Diamond) Robinson had a blast turned around the post moments before national team player Davis lobbed his namesake at the other end to put the finishing touches to an afternoon Parish will want to quickly forget.

Wolves: S.Augustus, M.Astwood (R.Ebbon, 66 mins), M.Williams, H.Burrows, T.Davis, R.Ford (T.Flood, 76 mins), K.Smith (R.Thomas, 80 mins), A.Brangman, J.Davis, V.Minors Jr., D.Simmons.

Hamilton Parish: C.Davis, T.Webb, C.Hansey, J.Outerbridge (R.Richardson, 60 mins), N.Robinson, D.Smith, M.Wade (T.Lowe, 30 mins), R.Somner (D.Astwood, 56 mins), L.Raynor, L.Butterfield, J.Smith.

Yellow cards: H.Burrows (Wolves); J.Smith (Parish)

Men of the match: K.Smith (Wolves); C.Hansey (Parish).

Referee: Anthony Francis/Anthony Mouchette.