Wolves 2 Devonshire Cougars 0

It wasn't pretty but Wolves did all they needed to at St. John's Field yesterday to earn a place in this year's Dudley Eve Trophy final.

Unable to stamp any authority on this first round winners' clash during the first half, Wolves came out fighting after the break and goals from skipper Nakia Smith and Furman College striker John Barry Nusum ultimately settled the issue.

Smith's opener was a beauty, coming after 55 minutes when surprising starter Mark (Beaver) Ray _ a hit-and-run victim in a road accident on November 9 and sidelined since _ crossed from the right side of the box and the alert Smith dived majestically to head past stunned goalkeeper Ricardo Brangman.

Nusum's goal game after 78 minutes as the elegant forward, often stranded upfield while his team-mates struggled to reach him with passes that went astray, took advantage of a disorganised Colts defence.

With the defenders unable to clear following a sizzling run down by the left by Vince Minors, Nusum nipped in to fire the ball home from close range.

Although Wolves can now relax while PHC and Cougars vie for the other spot in the two-leg final on December 30 and January 1, they'll realise there's still work to be done.

Even Wolves coach Dennis Brown admitted his side's first half display was uninspiring, although he credited his team for battling back to win convincingly in the end.

"The first half was more or less a battle with two teams at war, but I told them at the half that who makes the least amount of mistakes in the second half is going to be victorious," said Brown. "I thought we capitalised on our chances better and hung on to get the victory,"

Brown agreed his side would be called on to lift their game in the final, regardless of their opponents.

"`To win the final we have to play much better than this, we still are not nearly as consistent as we would like to be but we just have to work harder and get the job done."

While Wovles were deserving winners, Martonmere Cup champions Cougars rarely did themselves justice, particularly in midfield where, apart from the hard-working Kwame Steede, they struggled.

A lively start to the game saw a header by Wolves centre-back Anthony Thomas from a Jarred Peniston corner after just two minutes headed away by Cougars' player-coach and centre-back Shawn Smith as he stood on his goal-line .

And just 90 seconds later Cougars came close when Shawn Smith headed a Heys Wolffe corner over the top.

After 15 minutes Cougars were unlucky when Craig Darrell crossed from the right only to see Raymond Beach blow the chance by miskicking his effort on goal.

Play for the remainder of the half was largely dull with Wolves holding a slight edge.

Peniston smartly dribbled down the left flank, causing goalkeeper Darrell to fall to his knees to smother a shot from a sharp angle.

It was Wolves, however, who grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck after half-time.

On 54 minutes, Nakia Smith and Peniston combined and Nusum was set free to apply the finishing touches from just outside the box as goalkeeper Brangman raced out. But the forward hurriedly fired his shot over from 19 yards.

A minute later, though, Smith came through with the header that killed off Cougars.

Vince Minors could have doubled the lead after 72 minutes when he miskicked a cross from Nusum from close range.

But Cougars, with little help in midfield, never looked like recovering and Wolves held a decisive edge for the rest of the game.

Soon after Ray was taken off, Nusum got Wolves' second and might have added another in the 83rd minute when his lob over the advancing Brangman bounced off the bar and was cleared.

Wolves: M.Higgs; S.Waldron, J.Waldron, A.Thomas, T.Davis; J.Simmons, N.Smith, J.Peniston; V.Minors, J.Nusum, M.Ray (T.Douglas, 75 mins). Subs not used: J.Douglas, R.Ebbin, A.Webb, C.Durrant. Booked: J.Simmons, S.Waldron.

Devonshire Cougars: R.Brangman; D.Brangman, S.Smith, G.Butterfield, C.Smith; C.Darrell (K.Goddard, 70 mins), M.Smith, K.Steede, M.Dill (J.Smith, 65 mins); R.Beach, H.Wolffe. Subs not used: J.DeShields, E.Richardson. Booked: C.Smith, J.Smith.

Men of the match: Anthony Thomas (Wolves); Kwame Steede (Cougars).

Referee: Stuart Crockwell.