Leeds United 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

It doesn't take the mathematical skills of Pythagoras to determine the outcome of this one any more.

Wolverhampton Wanderers will be be playing Championship football again next season - and the only part of the equation left to be determined is whether manager Glenn Hoddle is still at Molineux come August.

For the 13th time in the 19 games since taking charge, Hoddle walked into a postmatch press conference shaking his head with frustration at having to explain away two more dropped points.

Once again linked over the weekend with a summer move to West Ham United, he said before this one that he needed his team to win six out of their last seven games to sneak into the play-offs.

That is now six from six and, although the positive-thinking Wolves boss will probably still be talking his side's chances up when it becomes six from five, even the romantics have joined the realists in believing that English football's draw kings are now marooned back at this level for another year.

After so many recent late goals, it was hard to believe Wolves couldn't eke out another when it was most needed. Kenny Miller hit the woodwork before Leeds keeper Neil Sullivan turned another late effort around the post in the dying seconds.

But Wolves had only themselves to blame for not still leading through Carl Cort's bullet header.

For only the second time in all of those 13 draws under Hoddle, Wolves had taken the lead, thanks to Cort's 15th goal of an increasingly impressive season.

Not for the first time after he had done a lot of pre-match talking, it was a nightmare for Paul Butler.

The former Wolves skipper had taken a rather-too-public pop at chief executive Jez Moxey for not rewarding him with the two-year contract he sought last summer.

In fact, Butler had fingered the wrong man. It was previous manager Dave Jones' decision to effectively let him go by offering no more than a 12-month deal. On Saturday's evidence, with Butler left kicking at thin air after allowing Cort to escape his clutches, maybe Jones was right.

Having got their noses in front thanks to Cort's bravery and Butler's inattentiveness, backsides need kicking for the way Wolves let it slip.

Shaun Derry's equalising free-kick was embarrassing in two ways. Firstly, for an uncharacteristic show of indiscipline from Rob Edwards who kicked the ball away to earn himself a booking and bring Leeds ten yards closer to within shooting range. And secondly, for a rare Michael Oakes goalkeeping error.

Throughout his six seasons with Wolves, fingers have occasionally been pointed at Oakes for his positioning, or for his reluctance to come and claim high balls. But nobody could recall any individual error like the one that saw Derry's free-kick fly straight over the top of him, through his flailing arm.

"I could have done better," admitted Oakes with typical candour. "I've got caught in two minds between catching it and tipping it over. It's just one of those things, but there's no point feeling sorry for yourself.

"We were unlucky not to get the three points, but we're making it hard for teams to beat us, we've just got to keep plugging away, try to win our last six games and start by looking for three points at Leicester on Tuesday night."

It's an attitude of defiance backed up by other corners of the Wolves dressing room. "We don't want to see the season drift now," said Cort.

"I'm as baffled as everyone else as to why we can't turn these draws into wins, when we've been playing so well. But we have to maintain the belief that anything could happen."

After this club recordequalling 19th draw of the season (matching the mark set by Graham Turner's team of 14 years ago), eight of which under Hoddle have ended up 1-1, it seems hard to imagine anything Wolves being involved in anything other than a draw.

But, while still refusing to be drawn on his long-term future, despite the knowledge that his team would now be in the top two if they'd gobbled all those 26 dropped points they claim they should have had, Hoddle maintains every bit as positive an outlook as his players.

"It was always a tall order," he said. "We've been playing catch-up ever since I came, but I'm delighted with the football we've played, we've lost once in 19 which is a record to be proud of and we've deserved more than we've got on the board, I have no doubt about that.

"I'm realistic enough to know that, if it hadn't gone very well then people maybe would not have wanted me to stay anyway. But we'll sit down at the end of the season and decide the way best way forward."

Scorers: Cort (40) 0-1; Derry (50) 1-1.

LEEDS UNITED (4-2-3-1): Sullivan; Walton, Butler, Kilgallon, Pugh; Derry, Johnson ( Einarsson, 73); Moore, Lennon, King (Spring, 85); Hulse (Healy, 75). Subs: Ilic (gk), Carlisle

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (4-1-3-2): Oakes; Edwards, Craddock, Lescott, Naylor; Ince; Olofinjana, Kennedy ( Cameron, 82), Ricketts (Seol, 62); Miller, Cort. Subs: Cooper, Bischoff, Clarke

Referee: P Crossley (Kent).

Bookings: Wolves - Edwards, Ince (dissent)

Attendance: 29,773.

Wolves man of the match: Kenny Miller - never let up in his side's quest for another late goal.