Wayne fears old mate Miller

Wayne Hennessey finds his bid for a slice of history threatened by a former schoolboy pal at Molineux tonight.

The 21-year-old Wolves keeper clinched his 17th clean sheet of the season against Bristol City last weekend. It is a record that equals his friend and rival Matt Murray’s best – not bad for his first full season.

But Welsh international Wayne would love to go one better against Albion after his shutout at The Hawthorns earlier this season.

“I understand I’ve equalled Matt’s clean sheets for last season – now I’ve got to go and beat it,” said Hennessey.

“I haven’t seen him yet but when I do there’ll be a bit of banter, equalling him already in my first season.

“I’m delighted to have kept 17 for Wolves in a tough league, not just to have got equal with Matt, but just to have that number in my first season in the Championship.

“We’ve had a couple of injuries in defence and have had to chop and change, so it’s a good record. Now I’ve got to beat Matt.”

Standing in his way is Ishmael Miller, who was one of his peers when they came through the ranks as schoolboys at Manchester City and Hennessey isn’t underestimating his task.

“They’ve got some dangerous players, including my mate up front Ishmael Miller who I know from Manchester City,” he said.

“He’s a real powerhouse and will be a threat, so we’ll have to try and keep him quiet. I’ve always kept in touch with him but haven’t spoken to him about this game. He gives it a bit of banter but he’s a good lad.

“He’s massive, a real beast, and his left foot is unbelievable.”

Hennessey will be the second-youngest player at Molineux tonight after Miller, but

he already has the Black Country derby experience to give him the edge over his peers.

The 21-year-old, who is two months older than Miller, is unlikely to forget his first derby after being pitched in for his Molineux debut in the play-off semi-final last season.

Hennessey confirmed what many already knew – that he was a giant goalkeeper in every sense of the word as he flew through the baptism of fire with the minimum of fuss. Then he surpassed that by keeping a clean sheet in the goalless draw at The Hawthorns earlier this season, capped by a penalty save from Zoltan Gera.

And the ice-cool Welsh international admits he relishes the red-hot pressure of the Black Country derby and urges his team-mates to make themselves heroes.

“These are the games people never forget so there’s the chance for someone to be a hero,” he said. “It’s up to us to grab it.

“You’ve still got to play your normal game. But you know from a fans’ point of view it’s a derby they desperately want you to win, more so than any normal game.

“You’ve got to go out there and give it your best.

“Those play-offs were massive games for me and then I managed to go to their place last time and save a penalty.

“It’s a massive game, a derby, a sell-out and the fans are really going to be up for it.

“That penalty was a real confidencebooster. It was almost an indescribable feeling to save that penalty and then to hear the fans’ reaction afterwards.

“I remember all the players running up to me but they’d got a corner and I was just desperate to stop them scoring from it.

“I was saying, ‘get back, we’ve got to get organised’.

“It was the first time the fans chanted my name, which was great, but they’ve been great to me all along. It’s something I can carry in to tonight’s game but I hope they don’t get another spot kick, that’s for sure.

“It’s a game we’ve got to win. It’s all there for us – we’re on home turf.” Miller’s strike partner Kevin Phillips has struck three times in his last two visits to Molineux and Hennessey admits stopping the Championship’s top scorer is going to require maximum concentration.

“Kevin Phillips is still banging the goals,” he said. “I don’t know who I’d rather face shots from when it comes to their strikers, and if I said I’d prefer a midfielder, well, they’ve got Greening who can hit a good ball [too].”

But he insists Wolves’ defence won’t be intimidated by Phillips’s scoring record.

“I don’t think that’s the case because you’ve got the chance to do something about it,” said Hennessey. “It’s just a case of trying to keep nice and tight and deny him space and time on the ball.

“It’s difficult trying to keep someone quiet who’s in the sort of form he is and our defenders know they’ll have had a good game if they do.”

Hennessey wants Wolves to concentrate on feeding their own dangerman Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who is threatening Phillips’s place at the top of the goal charts.

“Sylvan’s a great player and if we’d had him a bit earlier, it would have been

interesting where we might be in the table,” added the keeper.

“I read Everton might be after him and he’s certainly got a big future ahead of him.

“Hopefully that will be with Wolves, because he showed against Charlton just what he’s capable of. Hopefully he can do it again against the Baggies.”

For Hennessey, he admits he can’t afford to be complacent even with rival keeper Murray out injured. “There’s some really good competition here and Graham Stack wants to be number one,” he said.

“I’ve still got to keep fighting for the jersey and it will be interesting when Matt comes back to see what happens. I’ve always found it easy to keep my feet on the ground. We’ve just got to keep it tight and try to win games.

“Hopefully everyone stays fit and well, because we need points. We’ve got games in hand and it’s there for us if you look at the table. We’ve just got to go and grab it now.”

And despite the constant speculation also linking Everton and also Villa, Wayne insists he wants to stay.

“I love it here,” he said.