Express & Star

Kenny Jackett urging Wolves to keep it tight

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Boss Kenny Jackett today urged his Wolves defenders to become as cute as Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to continue as the Championship's 'mean machine.'

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Wolves go into tomorrow's visit of Bolton aiming to keep their record as the second tier's tightest defence with just three goals against in the first seven games.

Charlton 'bent' the rules to score against them in Tuesday's 1-1 draw in midweek when a Wolves marker was held back to allow Andre Bikey to score, but the referee didn't spot the offence.

Head coach Jackett wants Danny Batth and Richard Stearman and Co. to be cute in their approach to stop the opposition.

"The best defenders can stay on their feet and intercept," said Jackett. "Over the last 10 or 12 years in this country, Rio Ferdinand has been outstanding.

"Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic never got their shorts dirty and they were the best two centre-halves in recent times.

"They didn't particularly need too many holding midfielders or full-backs to do their job and gave Manchester United a fantastic base.

"If you put the ball in behind them, they could win it back and pass it into midfield to set off the team's next attack. That's something I ask my defenders to concentrate on."

Wolves and Bolton clashes are usually feisty affairs, going all the way back to the 1995 play-off semi-final.

The last time the teams met, in April 2013, a tackle by Jay Spearing ended David Davis's season, while boss Dougie Freedman leads a host of gold and black connection in opposition, including Mark Davies, Craig Davies and recent trialist Max Clayton.

But Jackett said: "It's not something we're focusing on.

"We stand up for ourselves if we can but we don't want to overstep the mark."