Captain Craddock pilots promotion course

Sometimes a picture says more than a thousand words.

And the delight with which Michael Kightly's goal at the City Ground was received by fans and team mates alike was clear for all to see.

A massive away following, and a massive result - thanks in no small part to the scorelines from St Andrew's and Selhurt Park.

No-one can pretend this was a quality Wolves performance. In fact quality on the ball was the one major thing lacking from this display.

But there won't have been many more gutsy, committed displays in the Championship on Saturday.

Make no mistake, these Wolves players want promotion, and now it's looking increasingly likely that the dream will become a reality.

Built on the fantastic determination displayed by the back four, and the sensational work rate of Sylvan, this was a victory to be really proud of.

Sylvan will probably win the player of the year award, and if he doesn't Kevin Foley will.

And that's absolutely right, but it's a shame there won't be some way to mark the brilliant late-season contribution from Jody Craddock.

No-one has done more to drag Wolves out of their winter malaise, and it was a fitting gesture by Mick McCarthy to leave Craddock as captain despite the return of Karl Henry.

Craddock is simply rock solid right now, winning all his headers and tackles alongside Christophe Berra, who gets better game by game.

Craddock took over from a struggling Richard Stearman against Cardiff, and Wolves have lost one of the seven subsequent games.

With Craddock and Berra in tandem these past seven matches, Wolves have kept four clean sheets and conceded just four goals.

It's not just promotion winning form, it's championship winning form.

And Craddock's outstanding contribution leaves me wondering if there will still be a place for him in McCarthy's squad next season.

Marlon on his way to Molineux?

Wolves have tonight confirmed they are in talks with Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood.

Any deal is unlikely to be completed before Wolves head to Harewood's former club Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Harewood has obviously been a peripheral figure at Villa Park since his £4m move from West Ham.

The loan signing would make perfect sense to me.

Despite Super Mick's pre-season declaration that Wolves have four strikers ready for first team action, the reality has been that the goals are only really likely from Sylvan and Big Chris.

I'm still a fan of Andy Keogh, and Sam Vokes has great potential, but Keogh doesn't score enough, and Vokes has struggled to make a contribution unless it's from the bench.

Harewood has incredibly only started one Premier League game for Villa in two seasons, making 28 substitute appearances.

I guess there are two sticking points to the Harewood deal going through.

Will he accept a cut in wages? And will he be prepared to swap a Premier League bench for a Championship bench?

As that's clearly where he would start at Molineux behind Sylvan and Big Chris.

Berra and Iwelumo stand tallest amongst giants

As a former centre half himself, you'd think Wolves manager Mick McCarthy would be well suited to the task of signing central defenders.

But over the course of his almost three seasons at Molineux, there hasn't been much clear evidence that it's his transfer market speciality.

There would be few complaints from Wolves fans about the service provided by Gary Breen, although his Molineux career coincided with a decline in pace, but question marks have persisted elsewhere.

The £600,000 spent on Darren Ward has proved to be a waste, and the £1 million shelled out on Jason Shackell is completely perplexing.

Most Wolves fans have total admiration for the never-say-die attitude of Neill Collins, but real reservations exist about his ability to defend calmly, and the redoubtable Jody Craddock suffered the ignomany of a loan spell at Stoke when many Wolves fans considered him still worthy of first team contention at Molineux.

Of course Michael Mancienne was completely fantastic on loan from Chelsea, and summer buy Richard Stearman had given sterling service until his recent removal from the firing line.

But questions persisted about McCarthy's defensive transfers, and the queries increased after a difficult start to his Molineux career for £2.3m signing Christophe Berra.

Now of course he signed at a time when Wolves were shockingly low on confidence, and that has to be a massive factor behind his difficult start to life at the top of the Championship.

But with Wolves seemingly now back on track, Berra was quite outstanding at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Not seemingly blessed with blistering pace, which many fans argue is vital if Wolves are to stand any chance whatsoever in the Premier League next season, Berra was a man mountain at Hillsborough.

And there's a calmness about him too - with or without the ball.

With the always admirable Craddock alongside him, in a back four where Matt Hill also impressed, Berra looked every inch the £2.3m international defender that he is.

It was hard to believe this was the same player who looked so uncomfortable seven days earlier against Plymouth.

And while Berra rose to the occasion, it was Wolves' team spine that stood firm. Wayne Hennessey came for crosses, the recalled David Jones added a touch of authority to central midfield, and Chris Iwelumo and Sylvan ran themselves into the ground.

If Wolves can hang on to Sylvan, he can become a Molineux legend. His goal record is remarkable, and his all round battling centre forward play is a delight.

But it was Big Chris who I was most impressed with - still running his heart out in the dying seconds of a win that was so wildly acclaimed by both fans and players at full time.

He still makes too many fouls, and could do with a goal, but he stood tall on an afternoon when Wolves had so many giants.

Palace relief - now we need Sheffield steel

Ten games to go, five points clear and a record of one win in one.

My, how that sounds better than a return of one win in 11!

Deride Mick McCarthy all you like for his often used comment about his lads "putting in an honest shift".

But it's clear that the effort and commitment coursing through the veins of his players is a big reason why Wolves went to south east London last night and, in appalling conditions, ended this horrible run.

This is a massive week for Wolves, and bouyed by victory at Selhurst Park, we all head to Hillsborough with renewed optimism.

We can argue about McCarthy's team selections since the turn of the year, and many of us have, but this depressing run has all been about a shocking lack of confidence.

And the boss was running out of post match options. There's a limit to the number of times us supporters can listen to our manager say: "We were hopeless." And that limit had been reached.

But confidence delivers calmness and control on the ball - and when Wolves take control, they take some beating in the Championship.

A key characteristic of a Wolves fan is to dwell on what's gone before, but now the emphasis has to be on the future.

Thanks to the equally pathetic results for Reading and Blues, we are in a wonderful position.

Wolves were losing games, but they never lost us matchday fans. And I was proud to be part of the South Bank that gave such a rousing burst of support in the second half against Plymouth.

So into the final lap - the last 10 games that will decide our destiny.

Trips to Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest, Blues, Derby and Barnsley - then Molineux dates with Ipswich, doomed Charlton, Southampton, QPR and Doncaster.

Predicting our points haul is clearly pointless, and the reality is that Wolves have still only won two games out of 12.

Now is the time for McCarthy to stick, come what may, with Sylvan and Big Chris upfront, providing he is fit, and I don't think Wolves will lose on their travels again this season. And we could certainly have five tougher home games.

A Wolves team that did what it did last night is a Wolves team worth backing in the final furlongs.