It says much about the progress of this defiant Wolves side that we came away from Villa Park feeling disappointed we didn’t take all three points.

Had it not been for a moment of slack defending, allowing a long punt down field to cause mayhem inside our penalty area, we probably would have secured a famous victory. After all, we’d dealt with pretty much everything else Villa threw at us, with Marcus Hahnemann never really having to exert himself.

Still, a very useful point and in light of Burnley and Hull both falling to painful, last-gasp defeats, a good weekend all round. Those two sides both appear to be crumbling on and off the pitch where as Wolves just have the look of a side that are coming good at the most crucial point in the season.

Long may that continue.

Yesterday, every player contributed to a strong team performance, with David Jones perhaps most impressive. His close control and ability to pick out a killer pass in the final third is giving us a vital dimension to our attacking play and the former Derby midfielder is thriving more than anyone in this 4-5-1 system.

Kevin Doyle was right up there again too. Villa had only conceded ten goals at home prior to this match, but were ran ragged by Wolves record signing. He played a vital role in the build-up to both our goals, then gave us much needed respite when our backs were firmly planted against the wall in the second half.

What about Jody Craddock too? Yet another goal to go with another solid performance. Both he and Berra stood up strong to the physical bombardment from Heskey and Carew, which was admirable given the number of crosses angled into dangerous areas. Unfortunately, Berra does have the knack of losing his man, which contributed to at least one of John Carew’s goals yesterday. I can’t help but wonder whether we’d be better served with Mancienne in there.

I doubt whether Mick will change it. He’s probably right not to.

In fact, I hope this starting eleven is preserved at all costs for the next eight games, as we attempt to navigate ourselves to safety. There’s a cohesion to the side at the moment, which we haven’t seen since the glorious opening games of last season, so rocking the boat now would probably be a costly mistake.

It’s quickly onto West Ham now, where avoiding defeat would surely be a wonderful achievement. That being said, I feel we’re in strong enough shape to win at Upton Park and not consider it a giant-killing. We are after all, above them in the table.

What the Papers Say

For Wolves, that there will be a tinge of disappointment that they did not take three points is a compliment to the way they went about their business.

The Telegraph

Having been comprehensively outplayed as Villa made a flying start, Mick McCarthy’s team were well worth their point in the end.

The Independent

APPEARANCES can be deceptive. A glance at this morning’s Premier League table will show Aston Villa still very much in contention for a place in next season’s Champions League but on the evidence of the full 90 minutes rather than just a sprightly start, they look no more a top four team than Wolverhampton Wanderers appear in danger of relegation.

The Times

Villa Park is not my favourite place.

I’ve been there a few times and never tasted anything other than bitter defeat.

My last visit was back in 1998 for that infamous FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, where Mark McGhee presumably suffered a stroke prior to handing in the teamsheet. I was also present for a League Cup match against Villa a few years prior to that, which I believe we lost 2-0, Tommy Johnson getting one of the goals.

Then of course, they defeated us 3-2 on their home turf the last time we were in the Premiership, a game which perfectly encapsulated that memorable season. Tried our best, competed admirably but just weren’t quite good enough.

I think there’s a bit more about this current Wolves side, a point which was reinforced by the superb win at Turf Moor last week. We might have been hanging on at the end, but to leave with three points on a ground where Man Utd lost and Arsenal had to cling on for a draw is a great achievement. Make no mistake about that. It took guts, determination and no small amount of skill (with a sprinkle of fortune thrown in for good measure).

We’ll need to replicate that performance and step it up another gear if we’re to take anything from a Villa side rapidly closing in on the top four. Having beaten Wigan in the week, they’ll be desperate to kick-on with another win against another of the bottom sides.

Our chances of even scoring are limited. Villa have the meanest defence in the Premiership, having only conceded 10 goals at home all season. That’s very impressive, particularly as you wouldn’t mark them down as a defensive side.

Going forward, the threat is obvious. They’ve got wide players who can twist and turn full-backs into oblivion, causing untold mayhem down both flanks. If Wolves let the likes of Young, Downing and Milner run us ragged, it will be a very, very long day for us.

That being said, I’m hoping our five man midfield will give us the numbers to nullify their threat and force them into a change of approach. I expect the game plan will be to defend deep for much of the game, hoping to catch them out on the break, so it goes without saying that an early goal for the home side could prove disastrous.

If Wolves have to chase this game, I fear we’ll get picked off so a big performance from our back four and goalkeeper is a minimum requirement.

The team obviously continues to pick itself:

Hahnemann

Zubar
Craddock
Berra
Ward

Jarvis
Henry
Guedioura
Jones
Foley

Doyle

There’s a chance Dave Edwards could be on the bench and it’ll be great to see the hard-running midfielder back in contention. He certainly gives us a more offensive option on the right-side of midfield, which should prove handy for the remaining fixtures.

So do I think Wolves are capable of getting something at Villa Park? Emphatically, yes.

But whether I think we will get something is an entirely different question. If we play as well as I know we can, there’s every chance we’ll leave with something and we’re definitely due some luck in a local derby. That being said, Villa look strong at the moment and are a tough proposition at home.

It’s a tricky one.

I’ll ignore rational judgment and go for a 1-1 draw.

It is a derby after all!

If you’re going to the game, have a great time and roar the lads on.

Up The Wolves.

Ahead of this weekend’s West Midlands derby, I had a brief chat with Villa fan Damian who runs The Villa Blog. Here’s what he had to say.

Damian, welcome to Wolves Blog. I suppose a good way to start is by asking you about the 1-1 draw at Molineux earlier in the season. What were your abiding memories of that game?

My first memory of the game was frustration but on reflection, dull springs to mind and some dodgy penalty decisions.

If by ‘dodgy’ you mean we were turned down a stonewall penalty in the opening minutes but then awarded one for another clear foul later in the game, then I agree. It was a tight game but it really came to life in the last ten minutes, with both sides probably feeling like they could have won it. What’s your opinion on the rivalry between Wolves and Villa? Blues is obviously the biggie but do you look forward to this derby with similar relish?

Its a local derby and it is important to win but it will never be the biggest, although it is one I did look out for when the fixtures were released.

Yeah, same here really. What’s your overall opinion on Wolves this season?

Its hard for me to say after maybe only watching you three or four times. I’m sure the brief Mad Mick had at the start of the season was to keep you up and as things stand you are safe and you look like you have a fairly decent run in. Would be nice if you stayed up.

Do you think we will stay up?

Having just looked at your fixture list, I think its going to come down to how badly you want it. Mad Mick is one of those managers that I think can, on his day, get the best out of his players and if by the end of April you only need to get six points to stay up, I think you can probably get them out of your last three games (Blackburn, Pompey and Sunderland).

I certainly hope so. If you could pick any Wolves player to pull on the claret and blue jersey, who would it be?

There has been talk recently that we are interested in your captain, Karl Henry, but if I had to pick one it would be Wayne Hennessy – still very young for a keeper and will get much better.

Hennessy is an interesting choice, particularly as he’s not even making our starting eleven at present. To be honest, I could see him moving on in the summer, whatever happens this season. He can’t be happy sitting on our bench. I’m surprised you didn’t pick Kevin Doyle. Not only is he our biggest asset, I think he’s exactly the kind of player you need. Anyway, let’s talk about Villa a bit. How would you rate your season up to this point?

As things stand we are 3 points from fourth with a game in hand over Spurs, have already had one Wembley final and have a semi-final coming up against Chelsea, so there can be no complaints with where we find ourselves. I also don’t think as supporters we can complain about work ethic and determination but the time to reflect is at the end of the season. Progress this season, for me anyway, will be finishing fifth and sixth would be further consolidation. Next season is a very important one.

I suppose the way the Premiership is, you’ve got to be happy with gradual progress unless you’ve got the big bucks to throw around. What constitutes success this season though?

Success would be finishing fifth or higher and/or winning the FA Cup. Ideally winning the FA Cup because success in football is/should be determined by silverware and not finishing anything other than 1st in the league – but I’ll take progress on last season too as a consolation prize.

Interesting point about the definition of success and definitely something we’ve discussed on here more than a few times. OK, down to the serious business. What are your predictions for Saturday’s game?

Home win, sorry. It isn’t that I expect it to be easy. Mad Mick will set out his side to probably play how we like to play; sitting back and attacking teams on the counter and I think that is his best chance, but I think our quality and home support will be enough to see us win.

That’s probably a fair answer. Thanks for chatting with us Damian and good luck for the rest of the season, after Saturday of course.