It had looked like the old, familiar sad story for Town. Go ahead, dominate the first half, then concede a poor goal and lose heartbreakingly. But, thank goodness, this time there was an unexpected twist.
Taylor’s celebration told how vital the goal was. Shirt off, knee slide, running to the Blues fans. It was in direct contrast to the frustration of losing three points so late on against Bournemouth.
Yes, it was only our second win as we approach the halfway point of the season. Yes, we’re still in the relegation zone. But it’s three precious points in the bag, against one of our biggest relegation rivals. The proverbial six-pointer, as they say.
Jack Taylor celebrates his dramatic late winnerJack Taylor celebrates his dramatic late winner (Image: PA) So let’s enjoy this, and bask in the glory of a rare win. I fear it won’t be something we can do too frequently in this toughest, most brutal of leagues.
But, alongside the celebrations, we also need a dose of reality. Make no mistake, Wolves are poor on the pitch, and a club in utter crisis off the field of play. Their crowd were calling for just about everyone to be sacked, and the unsavoury scenes after the game told their own negative story.
And yet, despite all that, we could easily have lost. In the second half, Wolves created and missed a succession of very presentable chances. A better team would have taken at least a couple of them and the whole story would have been different.
We still seem to struggle towards the conclusion of games. A one goal lead simply isn’t enough for a team which has kept only one clean sheet all season. We seem to retreat, invite pressure, and hand the momentum to the opposition.
Town chairman Mark Ashton and club sponsor Ed Sheeran enjoy the winTown chairman Mark Ashton and club sponsor Ed Sheeran enjoy the win (Image: PA) That’s certainly a problem we will have to sort. If we don’t, I can see a long, difficult second half of the season.
Having done the miserable stuff, let’s look at the positives from Molineux. For me, pride of place once again goes to the colossus that is Cameron Burgess. Another towering performance from the big man.
Burgess came to Portman Road with four Championship appearances ten years ago as his career peak. If I’m honest, I wrote him off as a lumbering League Two lump. How wrong I was. He has improved so much, and now looks very much at home among the superstars of the Premier League. Well played, Cam.
Dara O'Shea is impressing TerryDara O'Shea is impressing Terry (Image: Ross Halls) A quick word for our other centre-back, Dara O’Shea. Playing alongside Burgess, he has looked increasingly assured. It seems Jacob Greaves and Luke Woolfenden will have to wait for their chances.
Another one who always impresses me is Jens Cajuste. He is a real thoroughbred footballer who always looks as though he has time on the ball. We just need him to give us 90 minutes.
Jens Cajuste is a classy presence in midfieldJens Cajuste is a classy presence in midfield (Image: PA Sport) Finally when it comes to individuals, a word about the two Jacks - Taylor and Clarke. I don’t mind admitting that ai was very grumpy when they came on and Nathan Broadhead stayed on the bench. Why is Kieran McKenna so reluctant to use Broadhead?
Anyway - back to Taylor and Clarke. We’ve been bemoaning our weakness from the bench in recent weeks, so it was really good to see our winning goal created and scored by those two subs. McKenna knows best!
One minor landmark was passed with the win at Molineux. We’ve now reached 12 points, which takes us past Derby’s all-time Premier League low for 11 for a full season. We need to take all the achievements we can get!
So, now we move on to our Christmas programme, which sees us facing the formidable trio of Newcastle, Arsenal and Chelsea, no less.
Sam Morsy holds Jack Taylor's shirt up after his match-winning goalSam Morsy holds Jack Taylor's shirt up after his match-winning goal (Image: PA Sport) We’ll have to take on Newcastle without Liam Delap, who stupidly got himself booked during the past-match fracas at Molineux. I’m guessing Sammie Szmodics will play up front, which will obviously need a whole different way of playing.
They are three pretty frightening fixtures, and if I’m honest anything we get will be a bonus. But for now, I’m just going to watch Jack Taylor’s goal for the 100th time!