The Wolves, headlined by Milton-Ulladulla's Chris Price, toppled competition leaders Sydney Olympic 1-nil at Albert Butler Park in a hard-fought affair.

The result saw Ante Juric's side drop out of top spot on the ladder, with Sydney United 58 climbing into first with a 2-1 victory over Marconi.

Wollongong remain three points behind United, but just one back from Olympic. The Wolves also leapfrogged the Stallions on the table.

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Sunday's performance was one Wilkshire had been waiting all season for and it reinforced his belief the Wolves are the best side in the competition.

"I've said it before, I haven't seen a team that's better than us," Wilkshire said.

"The ladder doesn't lie though.

"The boys put in a good performance.

"It was a team effort, this is what we talk about having a squad with the injuries that we're carrying.

"It was a great performance."

Takeru Okada was the match-winner for Wollongong, the Japanese star landing a brilliant strike in the 20^th minute.

The midfielder earned his side a penalty for a handball 15 minutes later, however Thomas James was unable to convert from the spot.

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Despite the miss, the Wolves held a 1-nil advantage at the break.

The visitors opened the second half with renewed vigour, Olympic controlling possession in their bid to level the scores.

While Juric's side pushed forward on a regular basis, they had little success in cracking the Wolves defence. That led to a number of speculative shots that were well off target.

Goalkeeper Hayden Durose, who returned to the starting lineup on Sunday, was up to the task when he was called on, ensuring the hosts maintained a clean sheet.

"The guys had to work hard," Wilkshire said.

"That happens, we expected that. We held strong, a lot of the shots were from distance.

"If TJ puts that penalty away, it's a bit of a different game as well.

"I think defensively we were sound and the attitude and response from the players was just what we wanted."

The win marks a return to form for the Wolves, with the side falling to Rockdale last Sunday.

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While a loss would have dealt their finals chances a major blow, the challenge now is to continue building throughout the final three weeks of the shortened competition.

Captain Guy Knight acknowledged the team has been inconsistent this year, but he's confident the win is the spark they needed.

"It was definitely a battle," Knight said.

"They threw everything at us and we really fought well. I don't think we had too many chances, but we did what we had to do.

"It was almost like a mini grand final for us.

"They were top of the table and we were sixth, three points here takes us within one of them.

"If we can go on and win the next three, we're a good chance of winning the premiership."