Wolves striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake believes victory against Watford is so vital they must win “by any means possible.”

The 16-goal hotshot admits results are all important, as Mick McCarthy’s side seek to hit back after five league games without a win, that has seen their Championship lead cut from seven to two points.

Ebanks-Blake said: “We need to win the game by any means possible. It’s all about results at this stage of the season.

“I don’t think anyone is concerned about whether or not we play the best football, it’s about getting results and where we finish up at the end of the season.

“It’s the way football goes that we’ll probably end up not playing as well but actually winning a game.”

Shackell, who is set to replace the suspended Neill Collins, stressed Wolves had reached crunch time as they seek an end to their winless run.

The former Norwich defender said: “This is a big couple of weeks now. It’s getting to the stage where we just need to win by hook or by crook.

“Whether it’s ugly, pretty or whatever, it doesn’t matter – three points is the key. It doesn’t matter how ugly the game is, we need to get back on a little run and win a couple of matches to push on now.”

Ebanks-Blake insists confidence remains high in the camp despite Wolves enduring their worst run of results for a year.

The striker said: “We’re still in confident mood. We’ve been in situations like this already this season and have a good manager who steadies the ship.

“We’ve got good players as well – they don’t become bad players overnight because of a few indifferent results. There’s a real confidence within the squad and we need this game, so we’ll take it to them.”