• Terry Connor reads riot act after confrontation in Bolton match
• On-field argument reflects divided dressing room
Terry Connor has warned Wayne Hennessey and Roger Johnson about their future conduct after the Wolverhampton Wanderers players squared up to each other during Saturday's 3-2 home defeat by Bolton Wanderers.
Connor, the interim manager, has spoken to Hennessey and Johnson individually about the incident, which took place in the first half and led to both players going to nose to nose and verbally clashing before Michael Kightly, their Wolves team-mate, intervened. It is understood that Connor asked Hennessey, the Wolves goalkeeper, and Johnson, the captain, to independently give their version of events. Connor has decided not to fine either of them but he has made it clear that he will not tolerate any repeat of their antics during the remainder of a season that now seems almost certain to end in relegation.
Saturday's tête-à-tête was symptomatic of the way Wolves have imploded this term and provided tangible evidence that the team spirit at the club is not what it used to be. Although it would be unfair to pin all the blame on Johnson, the £4m signing from Birmingham City has been a central figure in the team's decline. The defender's performances on the pitch have been hugely disappointing and he has proved a divisive presence in the dressing room. He has never looked like captain material and was disciplined last month for turning up to training under the influence of alcohol.
While it remains to be seen how much of a part Johnson will play in the final seven games — he has been dropped on a couple of occasions this season and was at fault for two of Bolton's goals on Saturday — there appears little chance of Jamie O'Hara or Jody Craddock featuring for Wolves in any of the remaining fixtures after the club confirmed that both players have undergone surgery. O'Hara, another summer arrival who has struggled this season, has had an operation on the groin injury which has sidelined him since the home defeat against Blackburn Rovers a little more than three weeks ago and is expected to be out for six to eight weeks, effectively meaning that the midfielder's campaign is over. Craddock, meanwhile, has undergone surgery in an attempt to cure a persistent hamstring problem and is looking at a minimum of five weeks out, making it highly unlikely that the 36-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer, will be available again this season.