James Collins full of praise for Wolves' local goalscoring heroes Kam Kandola and Nathan Fraser

Alongside their goals, the pair also put in stellar performances and Collins was delighted to see the local talents getting their rewards.

"They were both excellent," Collins said.

"That's probably the best Kam has done this season for us. He's a leader, a great character and a voice in the dressing room.

"He reads the game well and makes up for his lack of pace at times, by reading the game well. He was excellent.

"He tired at the end because he'd put so much into the game, but he deserved his goal in front of the South Bank, which was a brilliant thing for him.

"Nathan is getting used to scoring here now, which is nice.

"I used to think 'maybe' when he used to get those chances, but now I think 'goal' – and that's a great thing he's added to his game.

"He was always good holding the ball up and always a willing worker, but now he's added goals to his game and as a centre forward, that's what you want to do.

"I was delighted for them both. They're local boys, so it's good for the supporters to see local boys score, because every academy has boys from all over the world now. For two local boys to get the goals is lovely.

"We knew it was going to be a really tough opponent. They're a strong team in this competition and a strong team in Europe for the under-21s.

"I watched them at the end of last season and thought they were the best team I'd seen at under-21 level for many years, so for us to come here and put in the performance we did for the majority of the game – I thought we controlled it.

"We played some good football, looked dangerous and then towards the end it got nervy, like it does when they score and there's nine minutes of injury time.

"But we stood up to it well and it's nice to win the game. The boys deserved to win."

It was the first game at Molineux for the under-21s this year, as they bounced back from a Carabao Cup defeat at Lincoln to take three points in Group A of the International Cup.

In the coming months the side will also face Sparta Prague, Nice and Hertha Berlin in the competition – with hopes of returning to Molineux for at least some of those fixtures – as Collins reveals the importance of allowing the academy players to play at the stadium.

He added: "It's one of the most important things we can provide them at under-21 level.

"Playing here under the lights, with a bit of a crowd, is great preparation for when they get their first moment with the first team.

"They won't all get that, but one or two will, and when they do the preparation it gives them, allows them to go onto the pitch and be used to their surroundings.

"That is such a big help. Tonight, some of them looked edgy early on in the game, but then they settled into it.

"The more they play here, the more they get used to it and that takes the pressure off them when they get that moment with the first team, which is high-pressured enough without worrying about playing under the lights at Molineux."