John Ward is backing Terry Connor for the long haul

The man who brought Terry Connor to Wolves admits the club's new boss never wanted to become a manager.

But now he has, John Ward believes Connor will be make a very good one. Ward, now managing Colchester in League One, introduced Connor to the club when he was No.2 to Colin Lee in 1999.

By then the pair were already working at their third club together after Ward took him from Bristol Rovers to Bristol City, and the former Villa assistant boss witnessed Connor's emergence at close quarters.

"One thing about Terry is that he's a very good football coach," said Ward.

"He's a hard-working, knowledgeable coach who gets the best out of players and has no limits on his time in which to do it.

"He has a commitment to the job to get the best he can out of the players, and that's why he's been recognised to get this opportunity.

"It's taken a long time to reach this stage but now he has he can make a very good manager."

Ward, 60, worked with Connor for four years at Wolves before his own departure by which time his former protégé had succeeded him as first-team coach under Dave Jones.

And he said 49-year-old Connor's reluctance to see himself as a contender for management before is perhaps down to age and experience.

"I spoke to him at various times about manager's jobs when I was working with him and it wasn't something he showed the desire to do," said Ward. "It was something I tried to encourage him to do but he didn't think he was ready at the time and he was a lot younger then."

So, can Connor succeed as a manager?

"Absolutely he can and he can do it at Wolves because he has that backing of the players," insisted Ward.

"That was obvious from Saturday. Going two goals down in 17 minutes is a panic job at any level.

"But the way they came back and they showed their approval for TC after the game, my answer is yes.

"As long as he has that and can retain it along with good displays then, if they stay up, this vital, 13-game period will be a massive learning curve for him."

Ward revealed there is a lot more to Connor than his unfair 'Clipboard' reputation suggests, which makes you wonder whether he wanted to broaden his footballing horizons first before taking the plunge.

"He's done a lot of studying in the background and I think you'll find he's got qualifications in physiotherapy and other things," said Ward.

"He first came to prominence as community officer at Bristol Rovers and when my assistant Dennis Booth went to Huddersfield, I asked Terry to come in as my assistant manager, then we moved to Bristol City together then Wolves."

Chairman Steve Morgan was persuaded to give Connor the chance to manage Wolves after feeling the positive mood in training.

And Ward believes Connor's success is based around excellent relationships with the players.

"Terry's what I call a player's person and when I saw the response of the team on TV after they got a good point at Newcastle, I thought that showed how well they thought of him," he added.

"They all made a beeline for him with the hugs and slaps on the back and it's with the players that Terry makes his mark.

"He's also already shown he can make big decisions by dropping Roger Johnson because that was a massive one for him in his first game.

"That sends out a message because to leave out your captain in your first game is a tough decision, whether you've appointed him skipper or not away from home against Newcastle."

See also:

• Wolves announce £7m drop in profits

• Terry Connor: My Wolves team believe in me

• Wolves say Terry Connor can mirror Jose Mourinho