Young guns have Premier League in their sights

The equation is simple - four games, three wins and Premier League football is assured.

Derby, QPR, Barnsley and Doncaster stand between Mick McCarthy, Wolves and promotion.

And we may not even need three wins.

There's no Sylvan, no Kightly, no Iwelumo - but there's also no hint that Wolves are going to throw this outstanding opportunity away.

Granted, Monday at St Andrew's was a 90-minute disaster, but Southampton were blown away on Good Friday - and before collapsing at Blues, Wolves were very solid in March.

And credit McCarthy for his team selection against the Saints. Marlon Harewood was a complete nonentity against Blues, a massive disappointment on a massively disappointing night.

It would have been easy for McCarthy to stick with the on-loan, big-name, big-money Villa man, but he played fair by Sam Vokes and Andy Keogh - and how they repaid him.

Harewood did not deserve to start the game, and the two young guns proved just why.

Keogh, an intelligent footballer who's too often judged unfairly on goals alone, was excellent, and young Vokes thoroughly deserved his standing ovation.

A towering goal inside the first minute highlighted a performance full of strength and running.

Losing Sylvan is a massive blow, because he's a goal machine, but we head to Derby on Monday with 3,000 fans ready to back the understudy strike force to take centre stage.

As we drifted away disconsolately from Molineux after losing 1-0 to Plymouth on February 28, who would have imagined that we'd be in this wonderful position - with Keogh and Vokes leading our assault on promotion?

But that's probably been McCarthy's biggest trick - keeping squad members happy and included, so that they step up to the plate when needed.

And they've certainly been needed. Keogh, Vokes, Matt Hill, David Edwards and the inspirational Jody Craddock have all played important roles as the pressure's mounted and the injury toll's risen.

Hill has looked increasingly comfortable at left back, while Edwards, who was perhaps unfortunate to be replaced at Blues, was an all-action star on Good Friday.

Promotion won't be won on Monday at Pride Park, and it'll be a very tricky game, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will lay the foundations for a truly memorable trip to Barnsley on Saturday week.