Boubacar Traore’s first goal for Wolves was the difference on a night where the hosts – who made six changes to the side which started at home to Brighton at the weekend – were more than worthy of their victory over Leeds United in the third round, and Davis was pleased with the efforts of his players as they provided a much-needed lift to the supporters.
On making the hat for the fourth round
“I’m just delighted with the result. Cup games are all about winning, and we haven’t won many games, so it’s nice to win the game and get through.
“We didn’t start particularly well, and it’s not how we planned to start. We could have relieved the pressure a lot easier instead of three successive corners and scrambles in the box, so it’s something we need to learn from and get better from. Matija [Sarkic] was the only one who was ready for the start, and it’s a good job that he was because he made two or three fantastic saves for us.
“But after that, I thought we controlled a lot of the game, particularly the first-half, and we created a few chances. It was nice to score in that time of the game, when it’s tight.
“We were looking at penalty takers and wondering how we were going to score. Both teams almost resigned themselves to penalties at the end, because the second-half was a bit scrappy. In the end, it’s been a really good night for us.”
Buzzing for Boubacar ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/G7DdCjchZk
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 9, 2022
On Boubacar’s first goal for Wolves
“I thought the second-half was very tight and there wasn’t a lot of football with the stoppages and changes, but I was delighted at that time of the game to get a goal that was special. It was a great strike.
“It was just nice to get a clean sheet and score in front of the South Bank, which I don’t think we’ve done this season – so that was equally as good.
“It’s been a challenge trying to find ways of getting information to him and communicating with him, but he’s starting to feel right and starting to get used to what we’re trying to do. Hopefully he can carry it on for the next manager.”
On providing a lift for the fans
“We needed that, didn’t we? We needed that uplift. Everybody in the ground tonight, and those who didn’t come to the game, who listened to it on the radio or watched it elsewhere, all needed a little bit of a lift, and the lads have given us that tonight.
“I thought the lads dug in well, I thought they worked very hard, and I was really pleased with the effort we put in today. The lads really worked for each other and showed they wanted to win the game.”
Kicking every ball 🤜 pic.twitter.com/mYjU1shJB1
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 9, 2022
On taking confidence into the weekend
“It helps. It was important, playing Arsenal, that we tried to get some confidence from today, and hopefully we can build a bit of momentum and carry that on to Saturday, which we know is going to be a really tough game. It’s good to take a little bit of confidence and a little bit of momentum into it
“Three games in a week is tough and we needed to make some substitutions with a view to Arsenal on Saturday, but we felt it was the right substitutions to make anyway to give us more legs and a different type of attacking dimension, which I thought we got towards the last 10 minutes.”
On giving young players a chance
“I’d like to think that’s what been left. Knowing the players inside and out and knowing their character like me and James do, having worked with them, we know they can deal with this type of stage and situation, and I think you’ve seen that with the lads that have played, how well they’ve done.
“These sorts of games give you an opportunity to see them, and for the new manager and the staff who are here tonight, watching the game, to see what they can do as well.
“It wasn’t the only reason I put them in the team, the reason was because they’re good enough to make a difference. I was pleased with their performances, and I thought they contributed to the game really well.”
