Troubled Wolves restored some smiles to Molineux as they recorded a victory which was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests.

After their recent dearth of goals, the managerless midlanders scored three in the first half as they lifted the gloom following the Boxing Day demonstrations against chief executive Jez Moxey.

Star of the show for Wolves was youngster Adam Proudlock, who led the attack in a new-look 4-3-3 formation introduced by caretaker boss John Ward.

The teenager opened the scoring in the 21st minute after Stockport - beaten only once in their previous eight games - had been forced to send on substitute keeper Andy Dibble for the injured Lee Jones.

The replacement had little chance when Proudlock controlled a through-ball from Lee Naylor which caught the visitors' defence square, and the ball was dispatched coolly with a side-footed finish.

And Proudlock was again involved just after the half-hour when Wolves made it 2-0, his fine run and cross being turned into his own net by Finish international Jarkko Wiss.

Wolves, beaten at home by Preston on Boxing Day, made things harder than they needed to when Ludovic Pollet tugged at the shirt of Aaron Wilbraham and conceded a 45th-minute penalty which Shane Nicholson converted comfortably.

The two-goal cushion was restored almost immediately, though, when Naylor's deep centre reached Michael Branch on the far side of the penalty area and the striker crashed home a first-time, right-foot shot.

Despite some alarms, notably when Joleon Lescott tangled clumsily with Rob Matthews in the area, Wolves were largely in control in a second half in which Naylor, Proudlock, Branch and former Stockport midfielder Tony Dinning all went close to goal number four.

But Stockport provided a sting in the tail when Wiss headed home from close range after Matthews' pull-back on the right. The goal came in the 10th of the match's 11 minutes of injury.

Wolves' victory means they have won two and lost one of their three fixtures under Ward, appointed after Colin Lee was sacked shortly before Christmas.

But the post - on a permanent basis - looks likely to go elsewhere in the next few days, with Dave Bassett and Dave Jones the favourites to succeed Lee.

Teams

Wolverhampton: Oakes, Muscat, Naylor, Robinson, Pollet, Branch, Ndah (Camara 90), Lescott, Andrews, Dinning (Osborn 86),Proudlock. Subs Not Used: Nash, Sinton, Green.

Booked: Proudlock.

Goals: Proudlock 22, Wiss 32 og, Branch 45.

Stockport: Jones (Dibble 12), Nicholson, Flynn, Clark, Cooper, Woodthorpe (Brebner 57), Gibb, Wiss, Wilbraham, Smith, Matthews.

Subs Not Used: Bryngelsson, Maxwell, Clare.

Booked: Nicholson, Clark.

Goals: Nicholson 45 pen, Wiss 90.

Att: 16,667

Ref: M Ryan (Preston).