TOWN’S weekend 1-0 defeat to leaders Wolves at Portman Road ought not to have come as too much of a surprise given the financial gulf between the two clubs.

Wolves’ owners, Fosun, have paid out more than £50m in fees alone since taking over 18 months ago, probably more than Town have spent in their entire history, let alone under Mick McCarthy.

While the Blues weren’t systematically dismantled in the way they were by last year’s champions, Newcastle, at St James’ Park, there was a very evident and significant gap between the sides.

Town had a fair amount of the ball but, having gone ahead through Matt Doherty, this season’s apparent champions-in-waiting’s well-drilled backline limited them to very few chances and they always looked dangerous on the break.

But for another outstanding performance from keeper Bartosz Bialkowski, fresh from agreeing a new contract, the margin of victory could have been more.

Town weren’t poor as such - against lesser opposition they might well have taken something from the game - but Wolves were simply too good for them, as they ought to be given the difference in outlay between the two clubs.

The game was a perfect illustration of where Town are in the much-changed and richer Championship.

What was once a comparatively even division more and more emulates the disparities of the Premier League.

There have always been clubs with owners throwing money at promotion - Blackburn under Jack Walker spring to mind - but never to the current extent and at a time when a number of other sides are boosted by now-huge Premier League parachute payments.

The haves have more and the have-nots - including Town, whose wage bill, even with owner Marcus Evans shovelling in around £6 million a year, has been around 18th in the division in recent seasons - are much poorer by comparison.

It’s no exaggeration to say that these days the Blues are as likely to gain automatic promotion from the Championship as, say, Southampton or Stoke are to finish in a Champions League place in the Premier League.

A depressing position to be in, particularly after 16 years in this division and with another campaign increasingly looking like it will end with a mid-table finish.

Even that would be overachieving in league position-to-budget terms, but that’s little consolation to frustrated fans.

Ultimately, most football supporters want to go along every fortnight to see their team win more often than not, to be entertained and see them win something - whether that’s a trophy or promotion - every now and then.

Barring a miracle season like Huddersfield’s last year - and their wage bill was even lower than Town’s - without an increase in resources it’s difficult to envisage the Blues getting out of this division any time soon, in the right direction at least.

Unpopular manager McCarthy seems all but certain to depart in the summer and a new broom will at least freshen things up with all currently feeling rather flat, ideally playing a style of football perceived to be more in keeping with the club’s traditions.

But the new man is unlikely to have more money to play with than McCarthy who, like him or loathe him, has performed thriftily in the transfer market throughout his time at Portman Road, with Wednesday’s deadline day free addition from Forest, Mustapha Carayol, a typical signing.

Owner Evans appears either unable or unwilling to increase his - let’s not forget in a historical context already substantial - annual injection to a level which would make the Blues more competitive, whether that’s due to having his fingers burnt by the failures of previous bosses Jim Magilton, Roy Keane and Paul Jewell or simply not having enough cash at his disposal.

With hindsight, the window of opportunity for Evans was in the period just after his takeover a decade ago when Town were one of the division’s haves.

Since then the Championship has developed to its current position and the Blues have found themselves left behind.

On a slightly more positive note, at least Town aren’t in the position of tomorrow’s opponents Sunderland, one of McCarthy’s former clubs, second-bottom following last season’s relegation from the Premier League even with one of the Championship’s bigger budgets.

If Town, still 12th but eight points from the top six, are to revive their fading play-off - and miracle season - hopes they need to take at least four points from the trip to the Stadium of Light and then rock-bottom Burton’s visit to Suffolk next week.