At various points in the season I’ve commented on how Wolves seem to have the pleasant knack of digging out a result when they absolutely have to. Yesterday was the perfect example.

Having lost the three previous matches and with four tricky fixtures to come, getting something at Turf Moor was crucial.

I watched about 70% of the game via the worst internet feed imaginable, so my view on proceedings is far from absolute. From what I did witness, it was a fairly even game, with Wolves forcing the errors and gratefully profiting from some long overdue luck.

Wolves celebrate the crucial second goal

As I touched on in the preview though, the performance wasn’t important; it was the final scoreline that would prove season-defining.

That being said, the win could easily have been more convincing. We had a handful of presentable chances to put the game beyond Burnley. Doyle and SEB both shooting narrowly wide when a simple pass along the six yard box in both instances would have given one of their teammates the simplest of tap-ins. It looked like we might end up rueing those wasted opportunities as Burnley came close to hauling themselves level late on.

Had we thrown the result away, I think one or two questions would had to have been asked of our manager, for some quite-frankly bizarre tactical changes. We looked comfortable at 2-0 and very much in the ascendancy, so why he felt the need to withdraw players and completely alter the shape of the side is beyond me.

Mancienne for Guedioura was understandable; effectively plonking an auxiliary defensive shield in front of the back four to see out the remaining minutes.

But then came the cavalry.

Andy Keogh for David Jones. What the? So now we’re switching to a 4-4-2, thus abandoning the shape that has served us so well, just when it looks like it will finally produce a result. Seemed crazy to me.

Slinging SEB into the mix and forcing Keogh out wide was another tactical howitzer for the old goal faithful to withstand, as we agonisingly ticked off the final minutes.

Why do it Mick? Attack-minded substitutions are nearly always welcomed, but surely not two forward-thinking changes when the game is already going our way. I’d certainly be interested to hear his logic.

But we got the win, so perhaps it’s me who is in the wrong for questioning our manager’s judgment.

Speaking of judgment, did anyone else think Jensen should have been sent off for that flying headbutt on Doyle? I’m not for one second suggesting our striker was denied a clear, goalscoring opportunity, but surely that challenge was despicable enough to warrant firmer discipline.

In my view it wasn’t the only decision the ref got wrong either. I won’t dwell on the point though.

With Hull losing out in the dying seconds, Wigan getting smacked four nothing and West Ham being dragged back into the relegation mixer, it couldn’t have gone much better for Wolves.

This was a day and a result to savour.

Savour it.

Match Highlights

Back in 2002, I traveled north to Turf Moor for another vital game between these two old clubs.

Wolves were absolutely desperate for a win, with Sandwell rapidly closing in on the automatic promotion places. That day, we exploded out of the blocks and were 3-0 up before half-time; Colin Cameron netting the third following a trademark run from deep.

Wolves are looking for a league double over Burnley

Unfortunately, the game flipped on it’s head in the second half and nearly caused my heart to explode. Burnley stormed back, quickly reducing the deficit to just one goal and laying siege to our penalty area for the remainder of the game, frantically probing for an equaliser.

But Wolves held on. It certainly wasn’t pretty and nobody in old gold cared one iota.

The result was all that mattered.

The same can most certainly be said of this weekend’s encounter.

It doesn’t matter how well we play, how many mistakes we make or how many chances we squander. All that matters is the result.

With both sides locked on 24 points and struggling to add to their respective totals, a win for either would be massive.

I’m not a betting man, but I’d imagine Burnley are favourites for this one given their impressive home form this season. All their points, apart from a single draw at Man City, have come at Turf Moor, with only three teams managing to leave with the maximum.

Gulp.

So how can any of us possibly feel confident about Wolves securing a famous away win?

Well, Pompey went there two weeks ago and left victorious. With Stoke claiming a point there last night, that made it one win in seven at home.

Coupled with their continued horrendous away form, Burnley do have the distinct look of a side that could be running out of gas at the most crucial time of the season.

Add to that the loss of Owen Coyle, which seems to have significantly derailed their progress. Their fans might disagree but I don’t think bringing in Brian Laws has done much to galvanise the club either. That appointment didn’t exactly send out the message ‘We’re here to stay’.

Despite all of this, there’s still very, very little between the two clubs, which is an excruciating reminder of how summer expectations at Molineux haven’t been delivered on.

It’s practically impossible to predict with any authority if either of these sides have enough to beat the drop, which is probably more galling for those in gold shirts than it is for those in claret in blue.

One thing you can accurately predict is the Wolves XI to start this weekend’s game:

Hahnemann

Zubar
Craddock
Berra
Ward

Foley
Henry
Guedioura
Jones
Jarvis

Doyle

If good performances always yielded points, that side would have Wolves sitting closer to midtable than the bottom three right now. But unfortunately, a cocktail of horror misses and defensive mishaps have allowed valuable results to slip away.

We simply cannot afford to do the same in this one.

I’d be interested to hear whether you think this a ‘must-win’ or ‘must not lose’ game. The way the league seems to be panning out, I find myself leaning more towards the latter.

The one thing we can all agree on though is that defeat would be disaster.

I think we’ll get something, but I reckon that ‘thing’ might just be a point.

I’ll go 2-2.

If you’re making the trip up to Lancashire for this one, have a great time and roar the lads on.

Up The Wolves.

* Just want to crowbar in another shameful plug for my friends site, so make sure you check out DotComGiftShop for Easter gifts.

Well done Wolves.

A good performance, a fantastic result and a wonderful way to end a long week.

Today’s match was never about gaining vindication for Mick McCarthy, despite what many have suggested. It was simply about getting another win to help us climb the table and in doing so, take another big step in the right direction.

Wolves players end the week on a big high

For what it’s worth, I really don’t think Wolves won this match because our team were given the night off on Tuesday. I think we won it because we matched Burnley all over the pitch and had more cutting edge in the final third.

And much of that superior cutting edge owed a lot to our brilliant front two.

I can’t find enough words to heap adequate praise on Kevin Doyle. He’s quite simply first class. I mean, what more could you possibly want from a striker? He holds the ball up, runs the channels and always uses the ball cleverly. And on days like today, when he caps his performance with a fine goal, he looks every bit a £6.5 million player, if not better.

Of course, SEB is finding goals significantly harder to come by. He came close today a few times, most notably with a point-blank header that Jensen did well to palm away. But when a striker’s not wracking up the goals, the very least you demand is a performance and in that respect, our number 9 didn’t disapoint. He held the ball up superbly, bullying and battering the Burnley defenders all afternoon. He was involved with most of our best attacks and the signs of a blossoming partnership with Doyle are certainly there for all to see.

Another big plus was the continued rise to prominence of Nenad Milijas. His set-piece delivery wasn’t quite as pinpoint as it has been, but his influence on this Wolves side remains immense. I really like how he’s going about his business, positioning himself well and picking his moments to crunch into tackles or find a clever pass. I can’t even remember him getting inside the penalty area once in his whole Wolves career to date, yet there he was, perfectly placed to stroke home when Jensen could only parry Matt Jarvis’s low shot.

Good to see Kev Foley back in the side as well. He was quietly effective throughout and seemed at relative ease, sitting just infront of Stearman and linking up play. Long term, I still expect him to regain his place in defence, but he’s got a job on his hands to unseat Stearman anytime soon, especially after another cleansheet.

I’d also like to single out Hahnemann for some praise. I wasn’t particularly happy to see him force Hennessy out of the side, but I’m eating humble pie now, because the experienced American has been a revelation. I don’t think he’s a world class goalkeeper, but he seems to do the simple things very well and get the back four organised. I think we needed that.

But everyone did well today I thought. Craddock and Berra won nearly everything in the air and were generally solid throughout, Ward continues to look at home as a Premiership left-back, Henry battled to the death (does he have 5 bookings yet?!), Jarvis drove us forward with his pace and trickery and even Mancienne impressed in his make-shift holding midfield role.

So all in all, a good day’s work.

It wasn’t always convincing and it wasn’t always pretty, but Wolves got the job done.

And after five days of stupidly negative press and an awful lot of criticism (some justified and some completely ridiculous) I think that will do for Mick McCarthy.

It will certainly do for me.

Mick McCarthy Interview

Like most Wolves fans, I’m sick to my back teeth of hearing about Mick McCarthy’s team selection on Tuesday. Our fans and our fans only have the right to be annoyed, upset, angry or completely unfazed by what our manager does or doesn’t do. As far as I’m concerned, everyone else, including the Premier League itself, can sling their hook.

It’s now time to move forward and end the week on a massive high by beating Burnley at Molineux on Sunday.

Surman - first Molineux start?

That in itself will be a big challenge. Owen Coyle’s side have enjoyed a great start to the season, picking up points and admirers along the way with their fearless spirit and attractive style of play. They’ll travel south on Sunday looking for their first away win and believe they have every chance of getting it.

And why shouldn’t they?

Wolves have a poor home record this season and the amount of negative coverage we’ve received this week has almost certainly turned up the heat on our young side. Conversely, Burnley come into the match on the back of a brilliant performance against Arsenal, a match by all accounts, they should have taken three points from. Confidence should be high in their camp and they probably don’t have the same pressure to deal with, which gives them a slight advantage.

It’s imperative that Wolves come out of the blocks quickly. We need to get on the front foot, dictate the play and get that oh-so important first goal. We don’t want to give Burnley the impetus or something to hang onto because I don’t think we’re particularly good at chasing a game.

The lineup should be identical to the Spurs match, apart from the one enforced change due to Dave Edwards injury. I expect this team:

Hahnemann

Stearman
Craddock
Berra
Ward

Surman
Henry
Milijas
Jarvis

Doyle
SEB

I think it’s a toss-up between Surman and Foley to play in the midfield, so it will be interesting to see what Mick does there. Surman probably gives us more going forward, but Foley is more of a like-for-like swap with Edwards.

Winning this match will shoot us up a few places in the table and what a tonic that would be after looking like a side consigned to the bottom three, following the loss to Blues. I think it’s funny how everyone seems to be saying Burnley have done great (which they have) but Wolves have been poor, yet three points would almost certainly take us above them on goal difference. Stupid really.

I’m being optimistic this week and going for a 3-1 home win.

I’m backing Wolves, I’m backing Mick McCarthy and I’m backing Molineux to erupt on Sunday to help the team get the result we all want.

If you’re going to the match, have a great time and roar the lads on. The support has been phenomenal this season and I don’t expect this match to be any different, despite the events of the last three or four days.

Up The Wolves.

* One little thing. Can I encourage you all to subscribe to the Wolves Blog email alert. It’s in the sidebar at the top right of the page. A few of you have already done so and it’s a great way for me to let you all know when new posts have been added to the blog. Thanks again for your continued support.