Wolves told to follow Gray example

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has told his young guns to follow Michael Gray's lead as he looks for cool heads during the Championship promotion run-in.

Gray has led from the front during Wolves' recent surge to the fringe of the play-offs, scoring three goals in the last month to help the Molineux men move within a point of the top six.

The 33-year-old already has a promotion on his CV with Sunderland and McCarthy believes that pedigree can aid Wolves' bid for the top six.

"He's full of energy and enthusiasm and, at 33 or whatever he is, an example to the younger players," he said.

"His enthusiasm is still what it was at 23, it's remarkable. He's a good footballer – going forward is always something he has loved to do, even when he was playing at left-back.

"He and George (Elokobi) have formed a good relationship for us down the left. We have good balance there and having Mickey in the team also gives us good experience."

Meanwhile, McCarthy is wary of a QPR side who travel to Molineux with a "swagger".

"QPR are on the up – not just results-wise but in terms of their profile," he said.

"They've had some investment and signed players in January to keep them up and you can see the impact it's had.

"They've had a different demeanour compared to earlier in the season.

"They have a swagger and self belief that they are going places.

"They are a good footballing side and have quality in the team."

McCarthy also had words of comfort for Darren Potter, who was substituted during the first half of Tuesday's win over Scunthorpe.

"It was a tactical decision and Matt Jarvis went on in his place and made an impact straightaway," he said.

"I had a chat with Potts afterwards, as I always would with a player in that situation, but sometimes your words fall on stony ground at a time like that."

• Michael Kightly will be a studio guest on tomorrow's edition of Soccer AM.