Express & Star

Wolves a rollercoaster for Richard Stearman

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Defender Richard Stearman has witnessed a veritable rollercoaster of ups and downs in his six years with Wolves.

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But he says the inner belief in the squad – and their faith in head coach Kenny Jackett – convinced the players that the recent dip was exactly that.

A short-term slip on what he says is a far longer journey to establish the Molineux men in the Championship.

Promotion, relegation, Premier League, League One, joy, despair.

The 27-year-old has seen it all since joining his hometown club in 2008. The centre-back accepts losing matches can send confidence plummeting.

Equally, winning matches sends spirits soaring but he says the experience within the Molineux ranks was important in remaining level-headed in a five-match losing sequence.

That run was ended by last week's win at Sheffield Wednesday, and Stearman says Wolves want build on the impetus into tomorrow's home game with struggling Brighton.

"It can be difficult when you are losing games and we have got quite a young dressing room as well," he said.

"A lot of us have been there before and to come out of it you have got to have belief in ourselves and what the gaffer is trying to do.

"It has got results for us in the past so we know it will do again.

"As the gaffer has said we are new to this division and are trying to adapt with this team. I think we are in a pretty good place right now.

"We had such a good start to the season that expectation rose and we were happy with that as well because we felt we were playing well and deserved everything we were getting.

"If our results had been mixed up a bit more then maybe people might not have been raising the alarm bells but we wanted to start off shooting for the stars.

"Results have happened and we are trying to get back on a winning streak now."

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Stearman , has passed 200 league and cup appearances with Wolves since joining from Leicester City, has very much a regular but was omitted from the 4-0 defeat at Brentford.

It's vital, he says, to have competition for places and debuts for Dominic Iorfa and Kortney Hause in the last two games have proved there is young talent keeping the older heads very much on their toes.

"There have been changes but you have to give credit to the young lads that have stepped in," said Stearman.

"Dom Iorfa has really impressed me since he came in and Kortney enjoyed a clean sheet and win on his debut and you can't ask for much more. They have both performed fantastically well and looked comfortable and as if they have been there for a while.

"We had the same back four for most of last season and the start of this season but you have got to adapt and those players have got to come in and make the shirt their own. It's good to have that competition.

"In my own case I have games out of the team and it's difficult because everyone wants to play every game."

Third-from-bottom Brighton head to Molineux tomorrow with their form tumbling. Sami Hyypia's future has been questioned after they ost three in a row.

There are some strong Midlands links, with the Seagulls' ranks including former Wolves youngster and Telford-born Elliott Bennett, who is on loan from Norwich.

Then there's Villa loanees Darren Bent, Gary Gardner and Joe Bennett, while young midfielder Jake Forster-Caskey is the son of one-time Halesowen Town player Darren Caskey and the step-son of ex-Birmingham striker Nicky Forster.

But Stearman says Wolves will be fully focused on turning one win into two to build momentum for the festive fixtures.

"We had lost a few games on the spin before Sheffield Wednesday so it was important for us to bounce back with a victory," he said.

"Even though it wasn't the greatest of games we were just happy to get the three points.

"On the back of feeling a little bit unfortunate with what happened against Bournemouth it was a good result for us and we look forward now to taking on Brighton."