Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has re-iterated that the new formation adopted over the last few games gives the team just as much attacking intent as playing 4-4-2.

The team head to fellow relegation battlers Bolton tomorrow on the back of a decent run of performances which hasn't quite been matched by results.

And the boss has hinted he will continue operating with Kevin Doyle as a lone frontman, but supported on the flanks and by both Adlene Guedioura and David Jones pushing forward from midfield.

He said:  "I don't think the way we are playing is conservative - I thought we played great against Chelsea and had two magnificent chances - as many as them.

"Why does it have to be conservative playing that way?

"We attack with three players down the middle of the pitch and with two attacking full backs, I would argue we've had more of an attacking threat the way we play than we have before.

"If we play one up front, another has to drop down into midfield so we become 4-4-1-1.

"We pose more of a threat and we're not stretched out, we look more solid, we don't look like we're going to give chances and goals away and we're staying in games, which is what we're asking the players to do.

"How many goals have we scored? We're not suddenly this great attacking threat that we can go to Bolton and go 2-0 up and shut the game down - we can't do it.

"We're not living in cloud cuckoo land - there aren't that many goals scored by the teams at the bottom of the Premier League.

"We're living in the land of getting some points and we will have chances but we're not going to be all over teams because we can't."

And the boss is also mindful that despite their recent poor run, Bolton boast some players of Premier League pedigree who can do some damage given the chance.

 "Let me tell you, they might have Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander or Davies and Ivan Klasnic who are a right handful, just like Chung Yong Lee is on the right, and Matty Taylor, who hasn't scored for eight games, so he's due one," he added.

"Despite the fact they haven't scored, I think they're a handful and they've got a bit of firepower.

"Kevin Davies has a goalscoring record in the Premier League, Chung and Emander is a good player and Klasnic, who cost £7m, is different class.

"They're a threat, so let's not make it a nice open game of football so we find ourselves 1-0 down and we're struggling."

It's the second meeting this season with one of Mick's footballing friends in Owen Coyle, who has moved from Burnley to Bolton since visiting Molineux just before Christmas.

That decision stirred up a fair amount of controversy, but Mick believes his opposite number was perfectly justified in the decision he took.

"Owen is a good footballing friend of mine," said Mick.

"He made his decision to go to Bolton and, in other people's eyes, it might have been contentious.

"It wasn't in mine. He decided to go and good luck to him.

"He did a fabulous job at Burnley - getting them promoted and then having the start that they did. I don't think anyone can give him grief.

"If he thinks he is going on to better himself, that's up to him.

"I wish him well, although not tomorrow!