Matt Doherty: Wolves must not waste promotion opportunity

Wolves are back with their noses pressed against the automatic promotion window after Orient's win last night and now face Brentford in an eagerly-awaited showdown at Griffin Park on Saturday.

Head coach Kenny Jackett's "re-build" is still on course but with a new team and a new style helping banish the bitter memories of successive relegations, it is still promotion which remains the squad's defining target.

Doherty is waiting patiently for a fresh first team chance after losing his starting spot because of injury troubles.

But as the season enters the final third he says: "We've got the quality – I think we've got the best squad in the league.

"It's whether we've got the experience to push on because we've got a few youngsters. But we really need to kick on and get promoted because everyone will see this as a waste of a season if we don't.

"There isn't one person who wants to play League One football next season.

"So I don't expect us to be but we have to make sure we do it.

"This is definitely the season to do it because there have been a lot of new faces and we started so well.

"If we don't go up it will be quite hard mentally.

"We're professional so we shouldn't really feel sorry for ourselves if it doesn't happen, but we'd be bitterly disappointed."

Doherty admits he is surprised the team's results haven't already established a decisive lead at the top.

He paid a compliment to Wolves rivals by admitting he thought Wolves high points ratio- they remain on course for finishing with in excess of 98 points - would have put them in charge at the top of League One.

"I think we should be the team that's top of the league," admits the fit-again full back.

"Other teams should be trying to catch us – it's a bit surprising that there are teams ahead of us after the start we had.

"After the first 10-15 games, I thought we'd be right up there at the top for the whole season.

"They have gone on their runs but it would be amazing if they didn't have a blow up at some stage."

But he senses that Wolves are hitting their most impressive form of the season at just the right time and that augurs well for the final third of the fixture schedule.

"I hope we've had our bad run and we can kick on now," he says.

"There will come a time when we do hit top form and we'll hope to beat a lot of teams more comfortably.

"Hopefully that will be nearer the back end of the season when it's more important and we can win as many games as possible because we don't want to hit bad form near the end of the season.

"We aren't going to win every game but we have the squad with the capability to do that.

"I don't think Orient or Brentford have the squad to do it so that will come back and work in our favour."