If this was his day of reckoning then Mick McCarthy can count himself back in credit with Wolves fans – at least for the time being.

Whether the most controversial first XI selection in the history of the club will come back to haunt him in moments of future crisis remains to be seen.

But with a victory over Burnley as solid, safe and unspectacular as a 2-0 scoreline suggests, McCarthy’s players removed the scowl from the face of a club which has been torturing itself since he handed in his team sheet at Old Trafford.

Whether the manager’s end-of-game, team-bonding huddle in front of the Billy Wright stand was pre-meditated or instinctive only he will know but it spoke volumes about the trials McCarthy has endured since he enraged so many supporters – not all, mind, but many – with his selection for the United clash.

It was many things in one stroke. A ‘thank you’ to the players who had carried the added pressure of yesterday’s game without ever showing any signs of cracking, a rallying call against what McCarthy will see as a divisive outside world, a display of unity to disprove those who would claim his actions must have fractured dressing room spirit.

I doubt though we have heard the last of ‘McCarthy-gate’ as much as he would now hope this vital victory, which hurtled Wolves so far up the table they can nearly see Europe, has put some clear blue water between himself and the controversy.

There was a subdued, slightly unreal atmosphere in the air throughout the game which not even the noisy celebration of the Nenad Milijas and Kevin Doyle goals which won it could evaporate. Maybe the un-Godly Sunday kick-off time had something to do with it, but more likely it was the unsettling effects of the previous few days.

There will still be many Wolves fans who, when the manager is next in a crisis of results, will recall what will always be viewed as a limp surrender to the champions. They must wait for their day in court, after such a competent defeat of a Burnley team which undoubtedly plays its football with a smile but rarely bares its teeth.

The Turf Moor heroics of Owen Coyle’s play-off winners had been one of the features of this Premier League campaign behind previous criticism of McCarthy.

When that wretched afternoon against Birmingham came to a close at the end of last month, Wolves were seven points and seven places behind one of the teams they must look to finish above. Three wins in four have brought Wolves level on points and nudged them a couple of places higher, a suitable indication of the team’s progress amid such vexing issues.

This Wolves performance was never easy on the eye or of the highest quality but it was nuts-and-bolts football designed to take care of Burnley’s frail away form and to that end was perfectly tailored.

Doyle, in playing such a key role in the all important first, scoring the second and generally leading the team as he leads the front-line, deserves a special mention. Wolves fans will also have noted the sturdy contribution again of the Jody Craddock and Christophe Berra partnership, Karl Henry’s security patrols and the continuing return of Kevin Foley.

Milijas too was a vital component as he furthered his reputation with home fans with a goal before them for the second Molineux match running.

But whereas his Bolton screamer was entirely of his own invention, yesterday’s 15th minute opener had the stamp of the energy and industry McCarthy ceaselessly demands in its creation.

Doyle’s willingness to sniff the chance to pick the pockets of his opponents saw him chase down Clarke Carlisle and steal the ball from his toes out towards the corner – thus leaving a defender once named England’s brainiest footballer feeling a little stupid.

Immediately, Doyle was joined by an equally industrious Matt Jarvis who aimed a low shot towards the opposite corner which goalkeeper Brian Jensen could only parry. Wolves had got enough players forward for the rebound to fall at the feet of Milijas, who controlled perfectly his finish with that precise left foot of his.

Wolves would concede just one real opportunity throughout the first period and it followed almost immediately – but a counter attack fashioned by Steve Fletcher and Chris Eagles was squandered by a tame Kevin McDonald shot.

Instead it was McCarthy’s team which could have so easily extended its lead as Milijas provided the subtle touch over Burnley’s backline which gave Doyle the chance to take advantage of a hairline offside call which went in his favour. Jensen, though, was his equal on this occasions, blocking the forward’s shot with a dash from his line.

But Doyle would not be denied and in the 50th minute scored the breathe-easy second with a reminder of all his strengths as a forward. His ability to withstand defensive pressure to control long balls was evident as Craddock’s clearance dropped on the edge of Burnley’s area and the Irishman got around Steven Caldwell as he chested the ball down.

A step inside substitute Michael Duff’s challenge gave him the chance to once more take on Jensen and this time he did not fail. It was a moment worth the booking which followed, as his shirt came off in celebration although we must hope he does not live to regret that in the future.

If the day could have been made perfect for Wolves then a goal for Sylvan Ebanks-Blake would have been included.

But despite another monstrous effort from the team’s labouring chief striker, he remains out of luck with Jensen producing a brilliant save to deny the forward’s header from a perfect Stephen Ward cross in the team’s best other moment.

And Wolves’ attention to duty was never more perfectly illustrated than in Foley’s goal-line positioning and clearance to deny a Caldwell header from one of several excellent crosses by Chris Eagles.

But this was a day in which Burnley struggled throughout to match the decisive touches of their opponents – much to the relief of the man at the centre of it all.