Football: Lee quick to unleash Wolves

MANAGERS? WHO needs them. Not First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers, who parted company with Mark McGhee and by way of commemoration thrashed Bristol City 6-1 at Ashton Gate. A good start for caretaker Colin Lee, then. "I would have settled for a single goal victory," the ungrateful Lee said.

Star of the Wolves performance was David Connolly, who scored four times after Carl Hutchings had put the West Country side ahead and Guy Whittingham, on loan to Wolves from Sheffield Wednesday, equalised. Carl Robinson added the sixth 11 minutes from time, which means Bristol have conceded 11 goals in two games under new coach Benny Lennartsson.

"I blame myself for the size of the defeat," he admitted, "because at 3-1 down I made some substitutions which did not help the team. That was poor coaching."

Weeks of turmoil at Oxford United - collapsed takeover talks, the players' wages unpaid, a players' strike threatened, wages paid, strike averted, talks resumed - reached their logical conclusion at Watford. They arrived with their usual yellow shirts, forgetting they were the Hornets' colours too, had to wear Watford's away strip and lost 2-0.

Unlike his players, Malcolm Shotton has not been paid this month. "My wife is not happy about it and I will have to draw the line somewhere. We're down to the bare bones [he meant the team not the fridge chez Shotton] and I can't fault the players for effort."

Look out, the sky is falling. Queen's Park Rangers have won a second consecutive match. Their 2-0 success means victims Bolton Wanderers have won only once in their last five games. Kevin Gallen put them ahead after four minutes with a 25-yard shot, Mike Sheron put the outcome beyond doubt on the hour. "To be honest they can all do with getting fitter," Gerry Francis, the trim Rangers manager explained.

After a 2-2 draw at Bramall Lane, Sheffield United are unbeaten in seven games, Tranmere Rovers ditto in eight. Huddersfield Town and Ipswich Town also drew 2-2, at the McAlpine Stadium, David Johnson's 89th minute strike salvaging a point for the second-placed East Anglians.

In the Second Division, a 1-1 draw at Northampton lifted Wycombe off the bottom for the first time since August and the log jam at the top of the Third - six teams were level at the start - was halved when only Rotherham, Scunthorpe and Cambridge managed to win.