Two goals by Norwegian international Havard Flo helped Wolves into pole position in the race for the final play-off place in the First Division.

But the striker's first league goals for the club were considerably supported by a laughable own goal which added to the problems of relegation- threatened Bristol City.

The game, played on a heavily-sanded Molineux pitch, was delicately balanced at 1-0 in Wolves's favour when City's central defender Vilmos Sebok played a routine back pass which somehow bobbled past Steve Phillips and crept over the line.

The 53rd-minute gift was totally down to the blundering goalkeeper, although he may point to the uneven surface in mitigation.

From that point, Wolves took control on course for their seventh win in 12 games, although City - still without a league victory in 1999 - produced a spirited finish.

Wolves had started brightly without looking like scoring but then Flo put them in front out of the blue in the 14th minute when he stretched to steer home a deep left-wing cross by Paul Simpson.

And Flo, whose only previous Wolves goal had been against Arsenal in the FA Cup, completed the scoring in the 79th minute when he netted with well-controlled volley from another well-flighted cross by Simpson.

Despite the scoreline and Wolves's 6-1 romp at Ashton Gate in November, the game was a close-run thing for long spells in front of a crowd of more than 25,000.

Steve Torpey glanced just wide shortly before the half hour and, after the recalled Brian Tinnion had dragged wide from 20 yards, the highly-rated Ade Akinbiyi toe-poked just past the post on the stroke of the interval.

Torpey floated a header just over early in the second half and Bristol knew it was not their day by the time the same striker saw a header brilliantly turned over by Mike Stowell in injury time.

Wolves probably had fewer efforts at goal, although the dangerous Robbie Keane had a header cleared off the line by Scott Murray and saw another effort deflected wide at the near post.

Colin Lee, whose first game in charge was at Bristol just over four months ago, has now seen his team climb into sixth place with games in hand on most of their rivals.

Teams:

Wolverhampton: Stowell, Atkins, Gilkes, Sedgley, Richards, Curle, Simpson (Connolly 90), Emblen (Robinson 64), Flo, Keane, Osborn (Corica 88).

Goals: Flo 14, Sebok 53 og, Flo 84.

Bristol City: Phillips, Brennan, Murray, Locke (Doherty 64), Sebok, Carey, Anderson, Edwards, Akinbiyi, Torpey,Tinnion (Heaney 77).

Subs Not Used: Hill.

Booked: Brennan, Carey, Tinnion, Torpey.

Att: 25,237

Ref: D Crick (Worcester Park).