Digging In

Conor Coady says Wolves will have to come out on the winning side of many similar games as Saturday’s victory at Nottingham Forest if they are to enjoy a successful season.

The in-form Coady believes there was a lot of resilience balanced with spells of good football as a Diogo Jota double maintained Wolves’ impressive start to the campaign as they joined Leeds on 17 points at the top of the Sky Bet Championship table.

“It was a huge result,” Coady said of the 2-1 win.

“A lot of it was about resilience as I think we have played better than that this season.

“We knew how tough it was going to be before the game and Forest have been playing well this season.

“We wanted to play better football but we couldn’t, and we had to dig in at times.

“I thought we controlled the game defensively, although they scored a ‘worldie’ which we are disappointed about.

“But we got two fantastic goals and came away with the win.

“If we are to do anything this season then we are going to have to win a lot of games like that one.

“You see teams that have got promoted in the past – they have ground out a lot of games and often won them 1-0.

“It was about digging in as a team and controlling it defensively, and then with the calibre of players we have going forward we have always got a chance.

“We like to pride ourselves on being solid defensively and it isn’t just about being in control of the football when you have it.

“I like to think we defend properly and keep other teams in front of us and we defended well as a team and a unit on Saturday and came away from it with a win.”

Jota made it four goals from his last three games thanks to another superb display and Coady believes he is a crucial “game changer” for Wolves.

“Jota is incredible,” he says.

“It is an absolute privilege to have him at this football club.

“He is a massive advantage for us.

“He is so good with the ball at his feet, and that run down the left hand side in the second half was something else.

“At the same time he can finish as well – he is a game changer and has been chipping in with goals.

“He is outstanding, and a real asset to this football club.”

There were great scenes of celebration at the full time whistle as staff and players thanked the sell-out travelling support, and Coady believes that is a sign f how quickly the revamped squad has gelled together.

“The new players have fitted in really well,” he said.

“Everyone here wants to do well, we don’t want to carry on being a mid-table team.

“We are going to need everyone together – everyone will have a part to play this season.

“You can see how it was at the end with the fans and it is all about everyone coming together, taking it one game at a time, and seeing where it takes us.”