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Wolves blog: It's a knockout

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It is safe to say that in recent seasons, Wolves and knockout competitions have not gone hand in hand...writes Wolves blogger Tom Tracey

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In the last ten seasons, Wolves have not progressed further than the fourth round in the League Cup and the fifth round in the FA Cup.

In what has been a decade of highs and lows, cup competitions have offered relatively little entertainment for fans that often see teams of similar ability enjoying trips to Wembley.

It is no wonder that many fans have a sense of apathy toward the cup matches, especially the Capital One Cup, as shown in the gate figures.

Adam Le Fondre of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Wolves' 2-1 victory over Newport County in the Capital One Cup this week was Kenny Jackett's first in this competition whilst in charge.

This is the first time in three seasons that Wolves have overcome League Two opposition at home in the first round of the Capital One Cup.

In the past five seasons, Wolves have played 18 cup matches in the Capital One Cup, FA Cup and Football League Trophy.

The victory over Newport is only the fourth cup victory in five campaigns, having drawn seven (including games that have gone to a penalty shootout) and lost seven.

It is also the first time that Jackett has managed to win a cup game outright, his only other victory coming via a penalty shootout against Walsall in 2013.

Many of these 'cupitulations' have coincided with playing a weakened or much-changed team, although Jackett made five changes from the victory at Blackburn.

Has it been worth sacrificing the cup games to focus on the league?

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Wolves' record in the games following on from a cup match in this five-season period stands at six wins, five draws and six losses – very middle-of-the-road.

For the return of poor cup form, there is no outstanding statistic to back up the idea that it was worth saving firepower for the league.

Surely a cup victory would increase confidence and momentum going into the next match. It doesn't seem as though stamina and tiredness affects the team too badly - they have won more games than they have lost in the subsequent match after playing in cup games that went to extra time.

Kenny Jackett of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, when Wolves have gone on to actually win a cup game, their subsequent form is poor as they have only gone on to win the next league game on one occasion.

Hopefully, with the extra day's rest this week, the Wolves can overcome the Tigers and not allow the recent bad omen of a preceding cup victory to affect proceedings.

Wolves' fans are certainly owed a good cup run and a first round victory has bucked the trend of recent seasons already. There appears to be some room for squad rotation without seriously weakening the team, with depth especially down the centre of the pitch.

In 2013/14, Leicester City managed to get into the last eight of the League Cup before going on to win the Championship, so some competition juggling can be done at this level.

To see the club harbour ambitions of progressing in this competition and not merely try to avoid injuries would certainly help to restore fans' confidence and would likely improve attendances in seasons to come.