Wolves boss Mick McCarthy admits the manner of the team’s latest defeat was “worrying” after accusing his side of failing to compete against Birmingham.

The 1-0 defeat to Blues yesterday was Wolves’ third in a row, leaving them eight Premier League games without a win and four points adrift of safety.

But it was the manner of the lacklustre display in the first half that saw the team booed off at half-time and full time that was the biggest worry for boss McCarthy.

The Wolves chief must now lift the fans as they prepare to host fellow strugglers Bolton on Saturday, before daunting trips to Champions League-chasing Tottenham and Manchester United.

He said: “That was a hugely disappointing experience. That was worrying. They were better than us. We needed a performance and we didn’t get it. We just didn’t compete from the start and they got a foothold on the game.

“I didn’t expect to get beaten 1-0 or to play as poorly as we did in the first half. If you don’t start a game well and don’t compete, there’s no foundation on which to build.”

One third into Molineux’s triple header against the Three Bs – Blues, Bolton and Burnley –- McCarthy admits he needs to give the Molineux masses reason to believe the team can survive.

He said: “We have to give the fans something next Saturday, it’s up to myself and the team to lift them. We can’t dwell on it and we just get back to work.”

McCarthy took goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey out of the firing line to give 37-year-old Marcus Hahnemann his first Wolves Premier League game.

The manager said: “We needed a bit of experience on the pitch. Wayne had just had a couple of tough games. Marcus played really well and couldn’t have done anything about the goal.”

Wolves are assessing Michael Kightly’s latest injury after the winger came off with a damaged ankle from a clash with Liam Ridgewell.

McCarthy said: “I’m not sure what the assessment is, we’ll look at him today.”