Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy had promised it was always going to be a rollercoaster of a season.

And that rollercoaster took a gradual curve in an upward direction as it reached its halfway point thanks to this hard-fought if considerably mixed performance at Queens Park Rangers.

Having won at Southend and lost at Leicester City, condemning QPR and former Aston Villa manager John Gregory to a fifth successive defeat continued the up-and-down nature of Wolves' fluctuating season.

But McCarthy, who will perhaps be thinking that two out of three ain't bad, was left scratching his head at an archetypal game of two halves in which Wolves were as impressive in the second half as they were depressive in the first.

It needed two superb saves from Matt Murray, once again watched by England goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence, to deny headers from Jimmy Smith and Ray Jones and when Murray suffered a rare aberration, powering off his line and barging straight into team-mate Gary Breen, Martin Rowlands was only able to direct the difficult first-time chance over the unguarded net.

McCarthy delivered what is becoming a regular half time onslaught  -  "did it look that obvious?" he asked with a smile afterwards  -  and again Wolves responded.

And with their first shot on goal came the first and all-important goal, and indeed a first in League football for the on-loan Michael Kightly.

In only his second league start, and perhaps still adapting to the step-up from Grays Athletic, Kightly had looked solid if unspectacular until the 49th minute of this contest.

But when the 20-year-old took down Michael McIndoe's cross and cut inside to despatch a low shot past goalkeeper Simon Royce, both he  -  and Wolves  -  were a team transformed.

Kightly, set to make his move to Molineux permanent when the transfer window re-opens in January, spurned one glorious chance for a second minutes later when opting to try and pass rather then shoot, and also went close twice more prompting his demanding manager to suggest, perhaps only partly tongue-in-cheek, that, " he should have had four!"

Darren Potter, enjoying a return for the suspended Karl Henry in the centre of midfield, forced Royce into a diving save as too did lively substitute Leon Clarke, while McIndoe and Jay Bothroyd were only inches off target from distance.

Though they still failed to register a first two-goal tally away from home this season, their lead was never seriously threatened, leaving McCarthy's delight only tempered by why they have become such slow starters.

"I just can't help you with the answer to that," admitted the manager.

"Maybe we ought to put 45 minutes on the board when we run out or I should give them a rollocking before the game instead of at half-time!.

"I felt we just weren't competitive enough in the first half and were giving the ball away too easily. But in the second half we were terrific, and if I had the answer to why it was different then I wouldn't have to subject myself to some of the stuff we've served up in first halves recently!"

McCarthy labelled Murray's immense showing as "almost invincible", and also lauded Kightly's knack to get into goalscoring positions as Wolves' win propelled them back within just two points of the play-offs.