Win could shape Wolves term

The most difficult week of Mick McCarthy's Molineux career might just turn out to be the seven days that shape Wolves' season, writes Mark Douglas.

A traumatic week ended with a superb win for a resurgent Wolves - and a strong and very public message from a proud McCarthy not to let their standards slip again.

Norwich had already been ripped to shreds by a performance of rare attacking promise when McCarthy delivered an on-field debrief that provided a fascinating insight into the unity of a squad that has been subjected to a critical buffeting over the last four days.

Assembling his players around the centre circle minutes after the final whistle, the Wolves boss took the time to shake every one of his squad members by the hand before delivering a powerful address in full view of the departing Molineux masses.

The message delivered to the huddled players was as straightforward as the win had been - you've set the standard, now match it every week.

And if they manage to meet that lofty aim then a concerted promotion push looks a racing certainty, because the bare truth is that when Wolves play like this, most of their Championship rivals simply can't get near them.Hapless Norwich certainly couldn't.

They had no answer to Michael Kightly's devastating attacking runs or Andy Keogh's endeavour and imagination - a combination that finally bought him a richly deserved goal just after the half hour mark and effectively ended this game as a competitive contest.

And they simply couldn't cope with a gold and black onslaught that saw Wolves rack up 16 unanswered corners before the Canaries finally launched their tentative first offensive in the final 10 minutes.

Had it been played out in a boxing ring this contest would have been stopped long before referee Steve Bennett blew for full-time.

In terms of responses to 'that' midweek defeat, Wolves fans couldn't have asked for much more.

They might have needed reminding after 90 minutes of lavish attacking entertainment at Molineux, but Wolves went into this game after desperate back-to-back defeats that had conspired to turn a solid but unspectacular start into an impending crisis of confidence.

It prompted some serious soul searching in the squad, but this thrilling response hints at a resolute streak that is being cultivated in this developing group of players.

There certainly appeared to be less of the suffocating stage fright that had prevented them from breaking down a solid but unspectacular Hull side.

Faced with a similar challenge against more middle-of-the-road Championship opposition they upped the tempo, cast aside the fear of failure and got back to the basics that served them so well last season.

The end result was the best display of the season and a much needed injection of confidence all over the pitch.

Everywhere you turned, the midweek maligned were proving their worth in thrilling fashion.

Stephen Ward attacked from the left with a direction and purpose that offered the perfect riposte to critics who deemed him incapable of being anything other than a stop gap option until Matt Jarvis returns.

The onus is on him to prove he can do it every week, but here was evidence that he has the intelligence and vision to set up attacks rather than finish them off.

He was helped by Michael Gray, who finally looked like a player who was a Premiership regular a year ago.

But most of the plaudits must surely land squarely on the shoulders of the imperious Keogh, who remains the standard bearer for McCarthy's Molineux revolution.

There were suggestions that he might be dropped in the aftermath of a frustrating night on Tuesday, but anyone who seriously countenanced that doesn't understand the philosophy McCarthy is trying to cultivate in the Molineux dressing room.

Hard work will always win out for the Wolves boss, especially when backed up by the technique and touch that Keogh possesses.

"He is the one person that deserved to stay in the team because of his effort.

"Someone who works as hard as he does every single game earns the right to be in the starting line-up," McCarthy admitted afterwards.

"He looked bright, I was delighted he pulled the trigger and didn't pass it, he's been desperate for a goal and you could see that with his reaction."

It was the much-maligned defence that led from the front, though, with the outstanding Kevin Foley calming the Molineux nerves with a barnstorming first goal in gold and black.

Picking the ball up on the edge of the box, his deft first touch bought him time to manoeuvre and shape for 25-yard drive that flew past Norwich keeper David Marshall.

If that felt like just reward for his recent performances, then Keogh's mazy run and shot was a gift from the footballing gods.

Of course, a measure of perspective is required when considering the aftermath of this hugely encouraging victory.

If Wolves entertain more feeble opposition than Norwich this season then English football's second tier must be in it's poorest health for a generation.

In an hour and a half of football, Peter Grant's side couldn't muster a single shot to trouble Wayne Hennessey and only forced their first corner when Wolves had hit cruise control.

As if their pathetic performance hadn't been bad enough, the Canaries then proceeded to humiliate their manager further by descending into farcical ill discipline as the game ran away from them with two players being shown the red card.

First to go was skipper Jason Shackell for a scything challenge on Karl Henry and then Julian Brellier following a laughable show of petulance when he booted the ball at Gray seconds after hacking down Ward.

Their ineptitude was staggering, and more capable sides will surely provide a sterner test for the newly reunited defensive partnership of Jody Craddock and Gary Breen - a pairing that, lest we forget, McCarthy had decided over the summer was not strong enough to cope with the division's better attacks.