Star’s front row seat for sporting history
- Local newspaper week
Bold approach needed by Wolves
Friday 20th November 2009, 2:13PM GMT.
Wolves central defender Jody Craddock has vowed the team have got what it takes to survive in the Premier League.
Wolves face a daunting trip to league leaders Chelsea tomorrow having dropped in to the relegation zone after collecting just three points from their last six games.
They were beaten 4-1 by free-scoring Arsenal in their previous game and will now come up against a Chelsea side who have scored 20 goals in their last six games, while not conceded a goal at Stamford Bridge in their last nine games.
Wolves are massive underdogs to pull off a shock this weekend, but Craddock still believes they are not facing an immediate return to the Coca-Cola Championship this season.
He said: “We just need to keep playing our football.
“We’ve definitely got enough here, we’ve got a good bunch of lads, and a young, hardworking team.
“We know it’s not going to be easy – it’s going to be tough, but we’ve got enough here to see us through.”
As for the challenge of tackling Chelsea, Craddock believes Wolves have to adopt a bold approach.
Craddock, who has scored three times in his last two appearances, said: “Anything can happen in a game of football. We’ll be the underdogs and have got nothing to lose, so we might as well go there and go for it.
“This is the reason why we wanted to play in the Premier League to play against teams like this.
“Of course it’s difficult but it’s another good experience and we’ll be going there ready to give it everything we’ve got.
“We showed for half an hour against Arsenal in our last game that we can play against the top teams when I thought we looked comfortable.
“It’s a matter of continuing that and making sure that if we do concede, we stay together, don’t get disjointed and keep doing what we were doing before.
“But Chelsea are top of the league for a reason and we know we’re going to have to grind things out.”
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy accepts his team will be given no chance of causing an upset against Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
He believes their hopes of Premier League survival are going to depend more on how they perform in the two home games after facing Chelsea – against Birmingham and Bolton.
McCarthy said: “Our next two home games are the ones we have to win. They will be vital for us.
“It’s alright saying we need to get our teeth into them, but there will be huge expectation and pressure on those games.”
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
LIVE traffic updates
Road, rail and airport - latest
Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.