Amid all the celebrations after Wolves clinched promotion against Queens Park Rangers, George Elokobi finished up chasing fitness and conditioning coach Tony Daley around the dressing room and dousing him in champagne.

 

It was, said Elokobi, a spot of light revenge for all the pain and suffering he had been put through on the long road back to fitness.

 

It could more accurately be reflected as a gesture of thanks from Elokobi for whom the work of Daley and Wolves' medical team has proved instrumental in bringing him back to football after a severe cruciate injury nine months previously.

 

Two weeks after chasing Daley around the dressing room Elokobi was back chasing Doncaster players around Molineux, even if only for a few short minutes as a late substitute on Sunday.

 

And now, like the rest of the squad, the Cameroon-born full back has departed Molineux for the summer having completed a series of fitness tests organised by Daley and with a programme to follow during the time away from Compton.

 

It's a repeat of the methods used this time last year, which resulted in Wolves returning for pre-season already looking lean and mean and with a healthy base fitness level to be nurtured and improved before the big kick-off.

 

Tony will be hoping for more of the same this time around.

 

"The tests are not about checking up on the lads!" he explains.

 

"It's just so we know what levels they are when they leave and what levels they are expected to be at when they return.

 

"They've had a tough, hard season and will go away and have a couple of weeks off.

 

"They've been given a programme just to keep them ticking over so they come back at a reasonable level of fitness.

 

"We don't expect them to come back as fit as they were while they were playing games during the season but instead at a level where they will be able to start pre-season and go straight into some football work.

 

"They did it last year and came back extremely fit and we are hoping for the same again, especially as we are going into such a massive season for us all in the Premier League.

 

"It's important that we do things right, and I must point out that the players will have enough rest time as well.

 

"It's not about training every day, it's a system where they probably train two or three times a week for a short period of time to maintain a level of fitness which will give them a base when they come back."

 

 

So what are these tests then that have seen the players not only put through their paces at Compton but also despatched via a rota system to the Walsall campus of Wolverhampton University?

 

"They've all done a VO2 Max Test which is what they've done at the University," says Daley.

 

"That's a test for their base endurance levels which gives us a record on what their levels are now, what they should be by the beginning of pre-season and what they should be by the end of pre-season.

 

"That means they know the targets that are required.

 

"Here at Compton we've done field tests which include speed tests and repeat sprint tests where they go as quick as they can to see how fatigued they get.

 

"They also do agility tests looking at how quickly they can get around certain obstacles which is relevant to when they are playing as of course you never really run in a straight line.

 

"They do power and strength tests as well, jump tests, and all of it gives us data which helps us to put together individually tailored programmes so they all know what they've got to work on during pre-season.

 

"There might be a specific issue for a particular player to work on to also help prevent injury because the physios will also have given them certain pre-habilitation work.

 

"There may be certain exercises to do if a physio has spotted a particular weakness to ensure we do everything we can to stop players picking up silly injuries when they return and missing pre-season which is so crucial.

 

"Some of the lads will still be playing at the beginning of June with internationals and of course their programmes will be different as well.

 

"They will still have just as much rest and recovery as the rest of the players because I can't stress enough that while we're talking about testing, recovery is so important as well.

 

"It's the best of both worlds because doing nothing for six or seven weeks would be foolhardy - it's about giving the players the recovery they need but also ensuring they keep a base of fitness ready to come back for what will be another tough season."

 

 

Elokobi's reaction to Daley in the dressing room mirrors the sort of good-natured banter which exists between players and fitness coach behind the scenes at Molineux.

 

Many's the time a weary and worn face has emerged from the training ground corridors bemoaning the fact that they've just been put through the mill by the former England winger, knowing that exactly the same fate awaited them the next day - and the next.

 

And yet at the same time, to a man, the players are well aware of just how beneficial is the regime whose benefits - frequently lauded by Wolves boss Mick McCarthy - were particularly tangible at the start of last season.

 

Daley adds:  "The players do have the odd moan and they can moan at me until the cows come home - that's part and parcel of being a footballer!

 

"But they have all get it done and in the two seasons I've been here it's been an absolute pleasure.

 

They have to buy into it and if it wasn't working then they wouldn't.

 

They can see that it pays dividends, especially on the strength side.

 

"Some of them might want a 'body beautiful' but first of all they are in that gym to help them perform at their best - to assist the abilities that they have got.

 

"If they are running it's to make them run faster, if they need endurance it's to make them run longer, if they need more power then it's a case of adding strength which is football-specific.

 

"That's the reason they are in there and having a nice physique is an added bonus.

 

"These players are coming to me and asking what they need to do and I can't think of any stage where I've had to really push them on.

 

"It's been a big highlight for me how receptive the players have been and as a result they've reaped the benefits of it."

 

The crucial finish to Wolves' season proved equally as important as the beginning.

 

In that pressure-filled final phase of the campaign the squad proved they not only had the mental strength to see out games but also the fitness as well, with decisive late goals coming in three of the last four games against Derby, Barnsley and Doncaster.

 

 

Tony is quick to deflect any personal praise from such an achievement, and insists it was very much a team effort which helped Wolves cross the Championship finishing line with such power and strength.

 

"That was all down to the dedication of all the staff from the fitness areas to the physios and of course management and coaches," he says.

 

"It's a lot more than just the fitness part, it's everything put together and if one piece of the jigsaw doesn't fit then it doesn't happen.

 

"If the coaching's not right, and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake can't put the ball in the back of the net, it doesn't matter how fit he is.

 

"I have to say though the players do all work extremely hard though to ensure they make the best out of their abilities."

 

And while that continues to happen, Tony will presumably be quite happy to carry on bearing the brunt of the moans and groans for what is sure to be another gruelling season.