McCarthy seeks home help

McCarthy saw his charges book their place in Saturday's draw with a nerve-wracking 6-5 penalty shoot-out triumph over Coca-Cola League One side Swindon last night.

The third round sees England's elite enter the fray for the first time due to their involvement in Europe, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa and Fulham all going into the hat.

Port Vale and Leeds are, to date, the only sides below the Coca-Cola Championship to have secured a place in the draw and could be waiting for Wanderers in the next round.

But, whoever is pulled out to meet his side, McCarthy just wants to see Wolves' name first. "I don't really have any preferences, I never have," he said.

"Somebody at home. A home draw. So I have got a preference actually, I tell a lie, I have. A home draw but anybody."

Wolves controlled large sections of a lacklustre, and ultimately goalless, 120 minutes at Molineux but failed to breach a solid David Lucas in the Swindon goal.

And the visitors could count themselves somewhat unlucky not to edge through in normal time having come the closest to finding the net, hitting the woodwork twice.

But the third time they struck the frame of the goal proved to be their downfall, with skipper Gordon Greer firing the decisive spot-kick against a post.

"It was one of those games. I said to the players beforehand, 'You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't'," admitted McCarthy.

"All you can do is win it.

"I discussed that the Swindon players would be 'battle hard' because they had had three of four games – match toughness.

"The players that played here (for us) haven't, if you went through them. Certainly not minutes on the pitch in a competitive game.

"How do they get that? They've got to play. That's where the sharpness, the quality comes from. I think if they'd all had three or four games then I think we'd have won it in normal time."

He added: "Overall, no great quality, there wasn't a great lot of chances, but we've won the game."

Swindon have not reached the third round of the League Cup since 1996 and boss Danny Wilson had mixed emotions, although he insisted no-one will be laying the blame at Greer's feet following his spot-kick heartache.

"We wouldn't allow it to affect anybody whether it be Gordon or anyone else," said the Robins boss.

"Somebody's going to miss, it doesn't matter who it is, it's going to happen.

"But we won't whip anybody for that. No-one's going to be hung out to dry. Wolves are in a fantastic moment. The club is still on a high after winning the Championship and it is a Premier League outfit now.

"We've come here and put in a fantastic performance. We would have liked to have gone through and when you get so close, within touching distance, you're always disappointed to go out.

"But the players can feel very, very proud of themselves."