Wolves off to a flyer

Following Wolves’ great escape from relegation back into the Championship last season, Mick McCarthy would have been desperate not to find himself in a similar position this year. As a football club, they are really beginning to take shape this year – Molineux was expanded over the summer and the playing squad are now looking as though they believe in their own ability at this level, dispelling the fears shown by current trends in the relegation betting stakes. As a result, perhaps their promising start to the season shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

Following wins over Blackburn and Fulham as well as a comfortable 4-0 League Cup victory over Northampton in mid-week, McCarthy’s side made the perfect start to the season, and going into their Midlands derby with Aston Villa on Saturday, they found themselves third in the table behind just the two Manchester powerhouses – and by the end of it they were top, albeit briefly, following a gutsy 0-0 draw.

One man who claimed not to be surprised by their start to the season was their defender Richard Stearman, who not only claims that three wins out of three at the start of their campaign was no more than his team deserved:

“It couldn't have gone any better for us and we're all delighted but it's nothing that we didn't expect. I think it took us a couple of months to hit six points last year so to get it in the first couple of games is massive for us.”

Obviously Mick McCarthy’s first objective will still be to get to forty points as soon as possible, and the signings that he has made over the summer will certainly help him on that quest. Already they look more solid at the back following the addition of Roger Johnson – a player that Arsene Wenger could have done worse than to have a long look at following Birmingham’s relegation – and the permanent signing of Jamie O’Hara from Spurs has added some bite to their midfield.  Wolves fans who watch live football online are quietly excited about what their team can achieve this season.

Much hinges on Wolves’ ability to keep hold of star striker Kevin Doyle following reputed interest from Liverpool, but with Steven Fletcher on such a hot run of form, McCarthy will enjoy watching the August transfer window slam shut so he can get them both playing together as much as possible.