Dave Edwards has raised the bar for the rest of Wolves’ midfield, according to boss Mick McCarthy.

But he has challenged the Welsh international to ensure his Cardiff performance becomes the norm.

Edwards was man of the match in Sunday’s 2-2 draw against the Bluebirds to justify his first start in seven games.

McCarthy insists the 22-year-old can’t rest on his laurels. “I thought he was terrific – it was an excellent performance,” said the boss.

“It’s raised the bar for him. But there’s no point doing it in one game against Cardiff when you’re a Welsh international playing against a Welsh team. He’s got to do that every game.

“I’ve no doubt his standards have been good when he’s played. But it does raise the bar.”

McCarthy revealed he chose Edwards ahead of Dave Jones because he felt he needed to play.

“It could have been Dave Jones, and they all want to play, but the reason he played was he looked like he needed to,” he said.

“He was busting a gut to play and you can see sometimes see when a player is right ‘on the bit’ waiting for his time.”