Express & Star

Matt Doherty urges Wolves not to peter out

Matt Doherty has called for Wolves to not allow their league season to peter out – as he insisted they're not distracted by this weekend's FA Cup semi-final.

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Wolves lost 2-0 at Burnley on Saturday, meaning they've won only one of their past six league games.

Just two points separate Wolves in seventh and West Ham in 11th.

And, ahead of tomorrow's visit of Manchester United, Irishman Doherty has urged Wolves not to lose focus in the league after such a great season so far.

"We don’t want this season to peter out," he said. "We have to make sure that doesn’t happen. That’s why the United match means so much – we want to finish as high is the league as we can.

"I don't see why we can’t get Europe both ways really. We want to finish strongly and we want to win the FA Cup."

Wolves have registered poor results against the league's struggling sides.

"I don’t know how to explain that," Doherty said. "But I guess we've won enough games to be seventh so it’s not become the biggest deal ever because we’ve managed to pick up points elsewhere.

"But, yes, it is something we don’t want to happen. I guess if we were to win some more games against the so-called lower sides then we’d be in a far better position but that's just not how football works."

Sunday's game against Watford is one the club's biggest in a generation.

Doherty said it didn't distract Wolves at Turf Moor.

"We don’t get distracted at all," he insisted. "We’re not even thinking about next week. We've got a huge game on Tuesday. All our thought processes are going forward and trying to put this game behind us.

"We know the whole city is thinking of Wembley but that's why we're professionals, we put that to the back of our minds and concentrate on the next game. We want to finish as high as we can in the league and a win on Tuesday would go a long way to finishing seventh."

Burnley's goals came from Chris Wood and Dwight McNeil, with Wood's opener coming after just 90 seconds.

"They played their perfect game plan and obviously got the goal right at the start which was a killer," Doherty added.

"We were up against it from then.

"It’s amazing what a goal that early does. It lifted the whole stadium and their confidence and then after that they kind of sat back and just tried to see us off and the second goal made it almost dead then.

"The early goal was the worst thing that could happen the first goal. It lifted them and if they weren’t feeling confident then they were two minutes into the game. Then their game plan worked out.

"Burnley have got some good players and they all know their job in that way they are similar to us. On the day it’s just difficult to stop them.

"They are a good team. I am a bit surprised where they are in the table. I know a few of their lads – I think Europe had quite a bad effect on them at the start of the season and the Premier League is very unforgiving but I think they will be okay."

And of not starting the game, the wing-back said: "You'd have to ask the manager, I've no idea. When you do get the chance to come on then you have to try and make a difference. I reported back (from international duty) okay – I’m fine.