COCA-COLA CHAMPIONSHIP: Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 Norwich City 3

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake celebrated his call-up to the England Under-21 squad for next week’s friendly against Ecuador with an impressive hat-trick last night but even that was not enough to secure a Wolves win as Norwich City were gifted three goals in return to end with honours even.

Wolves’ top striker found the back of the net each time with the help of his wing commander Matt Jarvis but even then Mick McCarthy’s side were unable to shoot down the valiant Canaries.

The visitors instead ruffled a few feathers themselves with goals from Lee Croft and Gary Docherty – either side of a stunning strike from former Wolves frontman Carl Cort.

Ebanks-Blake, who has now hit 20 goals – just three short of the tally which earned him the Championship’s Golden Boot last season – thought he had done enough to hand Wolves victory after opening his account on 20 minutes.

He then guided Wolves back from 2-1 down to a 3-2 advantage.

But he had not banked on the tenacity of Norwich under new manager Bryan Gunn.

The last time the two sides met Norwich won 5-2 but the Canaries have been struggling and had lost ten of their last 12 away games.

The draw keeps Wolves five points clear at the top of the table but with Birmingham and Reading not playing they blew the chance to restore a seven-point margin.

Once again defensive errors were to blame but at least McCarthy has £2.3million defender Christophe Berra to call on for Saturday’s trip to Coventry City.

Alan Gow – the man Wolves chose not to buy last week after he failed his medical – entered the fray with 20 minutes to go but to the relief of the home fans was unable to grab the headlines.

Afterwards Wolves Ebanks-Blake admitted it had been a bitter-sweet night for him – scoring his first ever hat-trick but then seeing his side squander their lead and in the end have to share the spoils.

“I was delighted with my first hat-trick but would have been even more delighted if we had won the game,” the striker said.

“But that is football – it is gone now and we look forward to Saturday.”

Ebanks-Blake’s three goals took his tally for the season to 20 – just three short of the 23 he hit for the Championship’s Golden Boot last season.

He said: “It is not about me and I won’t sit here and talk about myself. It is about the team and if we are going to do anything it will take a team effort.

“It is my job to score goals but we have got to win games as well which is what we are all trying to do.

“We don’t go out there to lose games and we win and lose as a team so we have to look to Saturday and hopefully then we will be talking more positively,” he said.

The 23-year-old, given another England Under 21 call-up before the game for next week’s friendly against Ecuador in Spain insisted he had not set himself a target.

“I don’t set targets – I never have. I just want to keep on doing my best for the team.”

WOLVES (4-4-2): Hennessey, Foley, Stearman, Craddock, Ward, Kightly (Vokes, 39) D. Jones, Henry, Jarvis (Iwelumo, 90), Ebanks-Blake, Keogh (Reid, 77). Subs not used: Edwards, Higgs.
NORWICH (4-4-2): Marshall, Otsemobor, Doherty, Grounds, Drury, Croft, Clingan, Russell, Bertrand (Carney, 45), Cureton (Gow, 67) , Cort (Killen, 87) Subs not used: Killen, Hoolahan, Nelson.
Scorers: Wolves  (Ebanks-Blake 25, 53, 57) , Norwich (Croft 30, Cort 48, Docherty, 64)

Referee: Keith Woolmer (Northants).

Bookings: Henry (foul, 14)

Attendance: 21,654

Wolves Starman – Hat-trick hero Sylvan Ebanks Blake

Wolves Starman: Sylvan Ebanks-Blake – hit his first Molineux hat-trick to take his tally to 20 this season.