Shropshire Star

Conor Coady: Wolves are fired up

Conor Coady says Wolves have 'fire in their bellies' as they eye up a special season – starting with the opening-day visit of Middlesbrough.

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Nuno Espirito Santo's team ended pre-season on a high when beating Premier League side Leicester City 1-0 at the weekend.

Newly-converted centre half Coady starred in that win and looks set to play a key role in Nuno's new-look Wolves.

The 24-year-old is enthused by the quality of Wolves' new signings – and says the players that were already at Molineux are highly motivated for success this season.

Coady said: "The players who've come in, there's some really exciting talent there. Also there's fire in the bellies of the boys who've been here for a number of years.

"We don't want to carry on being a mid-table club. That's what we've deserved – we've not been good enough.

"There's a fire in the belly – they want to go on and do something special.

"We've been working very hard in pre-season. It's had to be like that because the gaffer's brought a whole new way of playing into the football club.

"We've listened to him. It's been a bit up and down in pre-season, we've lost a couple of games, but it's a learning curve.

"It's about passing and moving the ball, entertaining, getting the front three on the ball. Against Leicester we created a number of opportunities against a top club in the Premier League.

"The Peterborough and Shrewsbury games were an eye-opener (for the new signings) but you can see the movement and the quality on the ball is something different."

Saturday curtain raiser will be watched by one of Molineux biggest attendances in the past three decades with a crowd of around 30,000 expected.

Coady says the positivity in the stands is mirrored in the dressing room.

"It's a huge game and one that everyone is looking forward to," he added.

"We were saying before the Leicester game that there's a lot of optimism around at the minute. All the players are very optimistic, we're exactly the same as everyone in the stands.

"It's massive that we start well. All the boys are excited about it being a full house, we saw what it was like for the Chelsea game and how good they were that day.

"The gaffer's mentioned it quite a lot in pre-season, how our home form hasn't been good for a couple of years. To get the place rocking and bouncing will be a massive asset for us.

"We know what we have to do. It's only the beginning."

Despite a glut of 10 new signings Coady is poised to be in Nuno's starting XI against Boro. And if Danny Batth and David Edwards miss out, he could skipper the side as he did against the Foxes.

"I'm really enjoying it," he said. "I want to get better, as everybody does in this formation. This is the start of something.

"The gaffer's being calling the friendlies training games for us to get better. It's been relentless really. Double sessions out in Austria every day was really tough.

"Nothing makes me more proud than to captain this football club. I did it on a couple of occasions last year. To walk out at Molineux is a special feeling and gives you goosebumps.

"It was a very proud moment for me and my family. To do it at Molineux was special."

Ivan Cavaleiro's goal gave Wolves victory over Leicester – but Coady's remarkable goal-line clearance from a Jamie Vardy shot arguably even topped that.

Indeed Coady got the better of England striker Vardy during the whole game.

"I loved it!" Coady said of his tussle with Vardy. "He won the Premier League two years ago, it's mad. You want to test yourself against the best. I think the boys stepped up against Leicester, Cavaleiro's goal was ridiculous and the front three were outstanding.

"I had a bit of a laugh with (Vardy) after that which was nice. We knew how they played with Drinkwater playing it in behind – the ball was outstanding, I couldn't get there which I was disappointed with, so it was about helping John (Ruddy) out and I managed to get there and just get a toe on it."