Wolves captain Karl Henry has underlined the size of the achievement in staying in the Premier League by declaring it “bigger than winning the Championship.”

The midfielder has been forced into a watching brief for the last three games, serving asuspension for his sending off in the 1-0 defeat at Arsenal.

But his absence from the team has given the 27-year-old the chance to reflect on the scale of what the players have done this season, a year after lifting the title.

He said: “I’ve thought all along that staying up would be a bigger achievement than winning the Championship and I stand by that.

“To have done it with two games to spare is a magnificent achievement by everyone and they should reflect on a job well done.

“Going into the season I heard talk about maybe looking for a mid-table position. But we knew how difficult it was going to be and recognised we had a battle on our hands.

“So I’m chuffed we’ve stayed up – we’ve certainly improved as the season has gone on.

“Since Christmas in particular we’ve produced some very good performances and results.

“There have been some very difficult games but we’ve stuck to our task and everyone has worked hard for each other.”

Henry is available again for Saturday’s clash at relegated Portsmouth and is relieved to return with nothing riding on the game.

He said: “It’s good to get it done before the end of the season.

“No one would have wanted to go into the final game needing to get something, and fortunately the pressure of relegation is off now and the fans can relax.”

Henry paid tribute to the staff for their efforts.

He said: “Mick, his assistant Terry Connor and the backroom have done a great job – it’s been a really massive team effort.”

Henry also spared a thought for those who have not been able to play as full a part as they would have liked, such as Michael Kightly, who is suffering from inflamed patella tendons.

The captain said: “It’s unfortunate some players who haven’t played as much football as they’d have liked because of injury.

“Michael Kightly played such a massive part in getting us promoted.

“We’ve missed him – you feel for him and others.”