Richard Stearman issued a rallying call for Wolves fans not to panic after their side’s lead at the top of the Championship was cut to two points by Reading last night.

Stearman was powerless to prevent Mick McCarthy’s outfit from sliding to a 1-0 defeat at the Madejski Stadium as the Royals completed the double over Wolves, who never recovered from falling behind to a Neil Collins own goal after only 61 seconds.

To cap a miserable night for the Scottish defender, Collins was sent off late on for directing foul and abusive language at the referee’s assistant.

Birmingham’s 1-0 success over Derby means Blues are just four points behind Wolves, who have now gone five League games without a win and seen their lead cut from seven points to two since the turn of the year.

But Stearman pleaded: “It’s important no-one gets edgy. We have to remember we’re still top of the league.

“The chasing pack are hunting us down, but we’re very confident in our own ability and we’re going to get it right at the weekend.”

Stearman believes Wolves can overcome their latest setback by bouncing back to winning ways in successive home games against Watford and Norwich.

“The last few times we’ve had a bit of a blip, we’ve bounced back – like when we won seven in a row – so hopefully we’ll do that again,” added Stearman.

McCarthy refused to be downhearted, insisting he was pleased with his side’s performance.

“Apart from the goal I’m delighted with how we played,” he said. “We scrapped to the bitter end and had a right go.”

McCarthy was visibly fuming with the decision to send Collins off at the end and felt that his players were not protected. He said: “There are certain individuals that I am raging with, but they are not on my team.

“I haven’t asked the question why he was sent off as I thought I’d better calm down first, but I think he upset the linesman’s feelings. That, of course, is more important than any bad tackles.”