The result was irrelevant but the line-up named by Mark McGhee was intriguing.

The side fielded for the relegated Seagulls' final away fixture in the Championship emphasised both the rich promise for the future and the age-old problem for Mark McGhee in the present.

Kerry Mayo, one of the nine players out of contract at the end of the season, was at 28 the elder statesman of McGhee's starting XI for his return to Molineux.

He faces particularly difficult decisions over Mayo and Guy Butters, who was among the substitutes on Saturday.

Encouraging as it was to see no fewer than seven players in the team aged 22 or under, experience will also be required if Albion are to bounce straight back.

McGhee will need all his League One expertise - he has steered Reading, Millwall and the Seagulls to promotion from the division - to shape a cut-price squad capable of challenging next season.

Part of the problem for McGhee this season has been that, because of the financial situation at the club and the adverse effect Withdean has in attracting players, he has had to rely too much on the youngsters.

The under-contract squad is packed with them and is noticeably lacking in experience.

Injured captain Charlie Oatway has already been promised a deal and his regular midfield sidekick Richard Carpenter is also likely to be offered another year.

The same applies to the adaptable Gary Hart but that still leaves a shortage of nous in the ranks, which could yet work in the favour of Mayo and Butters.

McGhee's fellow Scot Alan Hansen, once remarked infamously of Fergie's babes at Manchester United that you never win anything with kids. Albion will also have to prove Hansen wrong.

McGhee said: "That's what this football club is about now, I know that. We've got to draw from the resources in the youth team and reserves and other people's youth teams and reserves."

Another of the out-of-contract nine, Alexis Nicolas, though still tender in years, can point to his limited experience at the highest level with Chelsea.

It has been a frustrating second season with Albion for Nicolas.

He made only his third start of the Championship campaign, and first since Bonfire Night, in the middle of the park alongside Mayo in the absence of the rested Carpenter and the suspended Dean Hammond.

"It's been too long," Nicolas said. "It's always nice to play at a decent stadium on a decent pitch, so I enjoyed it.

"In the position I play it's important you break up things and keep the ball.

"I thought I did well. Hopefully the fans thought that as well and the manager.

"It's hard not playing for so long but I've always been confident in my ability.

"I came here from a good club, I played some games in the Premiership and I was an international player (Cyprus under-21s), so I wanted to play and I was confident I could really take this club forward.

"For whatever reason I haven't featured this year. Every training session and game my attitude was for the boys and my aim was to do what-ever I can to help the club stay up, then assess my personal situation.

"I think I've done that to the maximum and I want to really thank the fans for sticking with me and not forgetting me.

"I can reassure them I've done everything in my power to play. My attitude has been spot-on."

Albion's attitude could not be faulted again in a match which, to a large extent, reflected why they have gone down and why Wolves under the under-fire Glenn Hoddle missed out on at least a play-off place.

Both sides created and missed plenty of chances in open play.

The game was decided by a first-half penalty, with two departing players the central figures.

Paul McShane, making the last appearance of an outstanding season on loan from Manchester United, blatantly handled as he tried to head clear a Mark Kennedy corner.

Kenny Miller, playing his last home game for Wolves before joining Celtic, struck his 12th goal of the campaign from the spot.

There would have been further goals in the second half but for the woodwork.

Paul Reid's clever lob on the run from 15 yards landed on top of the Wolves crossbar.

Either side of the Australian's audacious attempt, Wanderers' on-loan Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere hit a post with a left-foot shot and Colin Cameron the upright from a free-kick.

You sensed by the end the disenchanted Wolves fans who called sporadically for Hoddle's head wanted Albion to equalise.

McGhee said: "I thought creatively we made a lot. We played well, we passed the ball, the thing we didn't do was take any of the chances we made.

"That's mostly the story of the season but not entirely. It's about the centre forward. It's a shame we didn't win, because I think it would have further reflected the difference Gifton (Noel-Williams) has made. We have become a much better team with him."

Finding a replacement for the on-loan Noel-Williams if he goes back to Burnley or elsewhere is, for McGhee, the biggest problem of all, not least because he is bringing the best out of Colin Kazim-Richards.

Albion (4-4-2): Henderson 7; El-Abd 7, McShane 6, Hinshelwood 7, Lynch 7; Reid 7, Nicolas 7, Mayo 6, Frutos 6; Kazim-Richards 8, Noel-Williams 7. Subs: Carole for Frutos (withdrawn 69), Hart for Kazim-Richards (withdrawn 81), Butters, Loft, Chaigneau.

Wolves (4-4-2): Postma; Edwards, Lowe, Lescott, Ross; Miller, Davies, Cameron, Kennedy; Aliadiere, Frankowski. Subs: Oakes for Postma (withdrawn 46), McNamara for Lowe (withdrawn 46).