CRADDOCK NO ORDINARY JO! Stoke boss rues missing out on Wolves hero.

STOKE CITY 2 Elokobi (og) 17 mins, Etherington 44 WOLVES 2 Craddock 47 mins, 64 JODY Craddock notched the first brace of his 13-year professional career as Wolves bounced back from a horror first half to give their survival hopes a boost.

The 34-year-old played four games on loan at Stoke two seasons ago and Tony Pulis tried to make it permanent.

Now firmly back in the first-team fold at Molineux, the defender made the Stoke boss rue his bad luck.

Mick McCarthy is delighted the move to Stoke fell through. The beaming Wolves manager admitted it was a close thing.

"Jody Craddock would have left - we had Gary Breen - he was out of favour," he said. "Tony Pulis liked him and that's not surprising because he has been brilliant, absolutely fantastic.

"Jody came back to us because of injuries, otherwise he probably would have gone. He almost went out on loan last season in the window but he stayed.

"He got back in, became captain and lifted the Championship trophy."

Pulis admitted: "We liked Jody. At the time we thought we could get a deal done. Unfortunately, Wolves picked up a couple of injuries and it wasn't done."

Pulis felt Craddock's opening goal was offside as his side surrendered the initiative after dominating the first half.

He said: "The disappointing thing was that the referee blew for half-time. If the game had continued we would have kept the momentum going. Then they score at the start of the second half and it gives them a massive lift and knocks our lads.

"The free-kick leading to the goal was a poor decision and Craddock looks a yard offside. They've been given a leg-up by the officials and from there on we took a step back and they pushed on."

Craddock was twice in the right place at the right time to finish excellent deliveries from inspired half-time substitute Nenad Milijas. The Serbian transformed the game just when Wolves were in danger of being swallowed up and spat out. By the end Stoke were clueless and the visitors could easily have notched a second away win of the season, such was the slickness of their passing on the break. The hugely precious and deserved, point keeps Wolves two points off the drop zone.

In a depressing first half they were outfought and out-played in trailing 2-0. George Elokobi put through his own net and the impressive Matthew Etherington volleyed a superb second. The margin could have been more with Wayne Hennessey denying James Beattie from close range with a super save.

Wolves were actually quicker to settle with Kevin Doyle seizing on Beattie's woeful pass but Michael Kightly shot too close to the recalled Thomas Sorensen.

From there the first half was dismal viewing from a Wolves perspective.

Danny Collins had a free header to Etherington's corner at the far post and Hennessey dropped the ball under pressure from Abdoulaye Faye before Doyle brought it to safety. Dave Edwards also appeared to block a free-kick with a raised elbow on the edge of the box but referee Chris Foy refused penalty appeals.

Split A rare Wolves attack saw impressive Christophe Berra a fraction from nodding a 14th-minute opener. Segundo Castillo's long diagonal ball split the home defence but the Scottish defender couldn't quite get the faint touch he needed.

Wolves fell behind when Etherington collected Sorensen's throw midway inside the Stoke half and got the better of Ronald Zubar with his searing pace.

The French full-back did well to close the space but the winger still sent a dangerous ball across the six-yard box with Elokobi just beating Beattie to the final touch. Then Beattie blazed high over.

Hennessey dived to his right to palm Beattie's header to safety after the striker outjumped a woeful Elokobi to a superb far-post cross by Rory Delap.

Just on half-time Delap's trademark long diagonal throw was headed out of the area by Berra. Etherington, unmarked, chested down and volleyed into the net from 18 yards. It was a tremendous finish but the defending was sloppy. Milijas, replacing the ineffective Castillo, saw a free-kick flicked off Berra's head and Craddock - suspiciously offside - slotted in at the unguarded far post.

Wolves were now very much on the front foot. Milijas fooled everyone by going for goal with a free-kick from outside the box. Sorensen caught it but then almost bundled the ball over the line.

Midway through the half Craddock's glancing header from Milijas' corner left Sorensen grasping at thin air.

The unmarked Abdoulaye Faye headed a golden chance over from Etherington's corner. In stoppage time, after a breakaway, Milijas miscued a half-chance. STOKE (4-4-2): Sorensen; Wilkinson, Abdoulaye Faye, Shawcross, Collins; Delap (Lawrence, 80), Whelan, Whitehead, Etherington; Beattie (Sidibe, 71), Fuller. Subs: Simonsen, Higginbotham, Cort, Pugh, Sanli. WOLVES (4-4-2): Hennessey; Zubar, Berra, Craddock, Elokobi (Stearman, 59); Edwards, Castillo (Milijas, h/t), Henry, Kightly; Iwelumo (Maierhofer, 73), Doyle. Subs: Hahnemann, Ebanks-Blake, Halford, Jarvis. STOKE STAR MAN: Matthew Etherington WOLVES STAR MAN: Jody Craddock

CAPTION(S):

EL FOR LEATHER: George Elokobi chases Matthew Etherington YOU PUT YOUR LEFT LEG IN: Mamady Sidibe challenges Karl Henry STOKED UP: James Beattie and Matthew Etherington celebrate Stoke's second goal at the Britannia Stadium JODY'S JOY: Jody Craddock (right) is mobbed after getting his side back into the game