It wasn’t pretty but it could turn out to be very clever.

Another Molineux blank – Wolves’ sixth in seven attempts – and a goalless draw at home might not have offered the watching England coach Fabio Capello much to work on for the World Cup. But make no mistake, it meant everything to Mick McCarthy’s side.

The huge roar that greeted the final whistle showed how important the Molineux masses knew this point was.

McCarthy commented afterwards that Everton are top-four material and, although the Premier League table might not reflect his view, they are undoubtedly one of the form teams.

Coming on the back of two defeats in 18 in the league and just three days after becoming the first team to win at Manchester City this season, Everton breezed into Molineux in blistering form.

Put against the fact that the Toffees have now gone 309 minutes without conceding a goal and Wolves’ opponents during their Molineux drought include Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool, another struggle to score in front of their own fans is more understandable.

But it really doesn’t matter too much.

Of course, Wolves fans want to see their team score goals and the fact this stalemate made it just one in 673 minutes at Molineux is not one to be particularly proud of.

But Premier League survival is the most important thing for the club and that sell-out crowd made sure they showed their appreciation afterwards with a thundering ovation.

Results, not goals is all that matters and this gutsy, battling draw made it eight points from four games. That’s top-four form and, despite McCarthy’s insistence that Wolves can’t affect other teams’ results, events elsewhere keep going their way.

Just like last season when Reading and Birmingham kept tripping themselves up in their bid to overhaul a stuttering Wolves at the top of the Championship, their relegation rivals are now suffering at a time when McCarthy’s side have found their feet.

Many fans were still in city centre pubs draining their last pints as their big screens showed Manchester United taking apart Bolton 4-0, after Stoke had inflicted West Ham’s sixth successive defeat.

Hull’s 2-0 win over Fulham might have reduced the gap to safety from seven points to five, but United’s win at the Reebok saw Wolves leapfrog Bolton and rise to the giddy heights of 14th on goal difference, their highest position since the December 20 victory over Burnley.

Talking of which, Blackburn’s 1-0 win at Turf Moor yesterday lifted the feelgood factor a few more notches for those at Molineux.

Football-wise, Wolves never touched the heights of their superb, silky display at West Ham four days earlier against Everton.

In fairness, it was never that sort of game. Everton are big, physical and uncompromising with no little quality and packed with the Premier League nous McCarthy craves.

The manager even admitted if he is in charge for as long as David Moyes – eight years – that he would love his side to be like his Goodison counterpart’s.

But such was the way Wolves harried, battled and chased that the wily Scot would have been proud of them if they were his own. McCarthy quite rightly was proud but it wasn’t just the ugly side of the game in which they impressed.

This team have discovered the knack of how to win points at this level now and they are playing some good stuff. Crucially, they can now keep the ball for long periods, and of course when you have the ball the opposition cannot score.

When you see captain Karl Henry waiting and turning and checking again to find the right pass as he did on Saturday rather than putting one of his team-mates in trouble, you can see the Wolves players are learning to take the sting out of games at crucial times and have the confidence to do it.

There is a saying about making your own luck and if Wolves are straining every sinew in their bid to stay up, then things are starting to go for them in games as well. That was never more evident than in those final tense 10 minutes on Saturday.

The excellent Steven Pienaar was presented with a golden chance 15 yards out after Leon Osman’s knockdown.

But instead of connecting cleanly, the ball seemed to fall slightly behind the midfielder, who could only scuff a weak shot into the ground and it went straight to Marcus Hahnemann.

It was significant that Wolves’ two oldest and most experienced players combined to preserve that precious point at the death.

The 37-year-old goalkeeper showed all his nous in the final minute, bravely smothering man and ball when Dan Gosling was well placed six yards out.

And when Hahnemann was beaten by Tim Cahill’s overhead kick in the fourth minute of time added on, Wolves’ oldest outfield player Jody Craddock was there to hack the ball off the line.

To add to their good fortune, you could also throw in Louis Saha’s first-half shot hitting the top of the bar rather than dropping a few inches lower and Osman’s poor finish from six yards early on as well.

Saha was also guilty of a glaring headed miss after the break when Craddock probably did just enough to put him off and spare Wolves’ blushes, while Leighton Baines’s fine free-kick was deflected just over.

But while Wolves were mightily relieved to have secured their second point against Everton this season, they also played their part in a full-blooded encounter.

After the superb Craddock volleyed over at the end of an even first half when Everton bossed the chances and Wolves the possession, Ronald Zubar and Kevin Foley curled efforts just off target. The imperious Kevin Doyle then teed himself up for a volley over after an almighty 10-man scramble.

So Wolves take a point and plenty of confidence to their first visit to the Emirates this Saturday. They will need all the admirable qualities they have shown in abundance over the last few games to get anything out of Arsenal.

But the way they’re playing, who knows?

By Tim Nash