Former Wolves and England goalkeeper Tim Flowers insists there will always be a place in the Premier League for “grafting” teams like Mick McCarthy’s side.

The Molineux club’s hardworking ethic is a fundamental feature of McCarthy’s make-up and a key feature underpinning their promotion to the Premier League.

Flowers was back at Molineux to watch Saturday’s 1-0 clincher against QPR in a scouting role for England under-21s.

He said: “They’ve got it all to do, but there’s always a place in the Premier League for teams who are prepared to graft and work hard.

“I’m delighted for everyone, especially the supporters and Mick McCarthy – he’s a top bloke whose team mirrors him in that they work really hard, graft and never stop.”

Flowers kicked off his career at Wolves as a 17-year-old in the dark days of the mid-1980s and reckons the club is a far cry from the run-down shambles he played at then.

He said: “I’ve still got a real soft spot for Wolves after spending a couple of years there at the start of my career. They were very different days for the club.”