DIOMANSY KAMARA has spent most of this season suggesting he will walk away from The Hawthorns in his search for Premiership football if West Bromwich Albion fail to make it back into the top flight.
The Senegal international might not have to wander anywhere now that his dramatic winner, in a gripping Battle of the Black Country, has given him and his team-mates one foot in the tunnel for the Wembley final and a potential £50million ticket for the big time at the end of the month.
Of the 23 goals scored by the former Portsmouth striker, few will have been more crucial than the one which defeated Albion’s bitter rivals to gain a precious advantage for the second leg at The Hawthorns on Wednesday night.
And it fully underlined the strength of spirit and courage Albion possess as Kevin Phillips continued his wonderful run at Molineux with his two goals, making it seven in eight appearances to give Albion a third victory in four meetings over their sworn enemies.
However, there is no room for complacency with Tony Mowbray.
“I don’t think we played very well and there is plenty of room for improvement,” said the Albion manager. “I am not being Mr Grumpy. I am glad we are taking back a goal lead to The Hawthorns, but we can do much better than that. “There are no guarantees and no favourites. Both sides are still in the tie, but we know we have got the quality. We have scored 99 goals this season and we will have to do it again on Wednesday.”
Never in the history of the Premiership have the three teams relegated all been promoted in the following season, but with Birmingham and Sunderland already confirmed, West Brom are now in position to make it a treble.
With the lethal finishing of Phillips, who has 21 goals to his credit this season, Mowbray has every reason to feel reassured.
The 33-year-old’s wonderful finish from 25 yards, after Gary Breen’s poor clearance, and his predatory header cancelled out goals from Seyi Olofinjana and Jody Craddock’s close-range header.
Mick McCarthy’s men have spirit in abundance themselves, too, and it would be a fool who wrote off their chances of overturning the deficit. “If I was going to Albion with a bad team I would be worried but I am not, I am going there with a bloody good team,” said McCarthy.
Wolves’ chances were not helped by the loss of England Under-21 goalkeeper Matt Murray on the eve of the game with a cracked bone in his right shoulder. Murray sustained the injury in training and will be sidelined for six weeks.
As a result McCarthy had to blood Wales U21 international Wayne Hennessey, 19, who shot to prominence by setting a record nine clean sheets in successive wins for Stockport County earlier this season.
“That’s the roller-coaster that is Wolves,” said McCarthy. “We are front seat, front carriage and it is screaming along, but the young kid can’t be blamed for any of the goals.”
The same could not be said for Craddock, who went walk-about to allow Kamara to emerge from his own lethargy to snatch a victory that was barely deserved.
Craddock’s day-dream allowed Kamara to latch on to Paul Robinson’s pass and make his one telling contribution, but the platform for victory was laid much earlier by Dean Kiely and two wonderful saves to deny Wolves’ own flying machine, Michael Kightly.
Not that the performance of his old Republic of Ireland goalkeeper surprised McCarthy. “He’s a pain in the backside, always has been,” said the Wolves boss. “But he is a fantastic keeper and a great asset.
“He was an inspired signing by Tony Mowbray.”
McCarthy will need to find some inspiration of his own on Wednesday night if he is to cling on to his hopes of treading the new Wembley turf later this month.
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