Matt Doherty believes a shift in the intensity of training under Rob Edwards has had a big influence on Wolves going four games unbeaten in an impressive start to 2026.
The defender has played his part too, on and off the pitch, after Doherty offered up some home truths to his teammates in the dressing room, as well as in the media, after the defeat to Brentford in December, which he hopes helped to instigate the current positive run the team is on.
Wolves’ latest win came in the FA Cup on Saturday, as the Old Gold brushed aside League Two strugglers Shrewsbury Town, setting up a fourth round tie away at fellow fourth tier side Grimsby Town. And Doherty wants the team to continue the momentum they have built during the last few weeks into Sunday’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United and throughout the remainder of the season, with the belief of achieving something incredible firmly in the minds of the players.
On progressing in the FA Cup
“You want to win every game that you play. We’ve started the year unbeaten, so we’ve got momentum, and a lot of lads who haven’t played too much, about five or six or so played.
“You never want to lose, especially a home game against lower league opposition, that’s not what anybody wants, so we did what we had to do, and it was good for us in the end.
“That’s what a cup competition does. It gives people opportunities to play, and for people who are returning from injury.
“If it was a Premier League game on Saturday, that might not have happened. So that is the beauty of the cup games. Usually, people get opportunities to show themselves and I think a lot of people did that on the weekend.”
On heading to Grimsby in the fourth round
“All these teams in League One and League Two are all better than people think. They’re all getting closer to the level between the top of the pyramid, and I believe they’re always getting a little bit closer. It’s not going to be easy because we’re away from home, it’s probably going to be horrible weather, so it’ll be tough.
“We’ve seen what they did and what they can do in the cup against United, so people may think that on paper it’s a nice draw but look what happened to Crystal Palace at the weekend. We’ll be up for it and when the game comes around it will probably be a chance for people who haven’t been playing or who are lacking a bit form to maybe step into the team and find something then.
“But we respect the FA Cup to the maximum amount because of the runs that we’ve had at times, I’ve got to a semi-final with this club before, so the FA Cup is definitely a competition that we take very seriously.”
On not taking the Mariners lightly
“We know that already. The lads all have experience of facing these teams, and the manager knows it as well, so he’ll be giving out the message. As an experienced player, then I’ll have to relay that as well, but they’ve all played in cup competitions in whatever leagues they’ve been in before when you’re playing against teams in the lower leagues, and you know how you’ve got to treat them.
“It’s always different when you play them at home to playing them away, like playing Shrewsbury would have been completely different if we had played them away on Saturday. It’s just a completely different dynamic. Playing Grimsby away is going to be more of a leveller for them, but it’s going to be a good game.”
On being unbeaten since his post-Brentford interview
“I don’t know if they’ve [his teammates] responded, but maybe a result of what I said was part of the reason why people really decided to knuckle down. When you say stuff like that, if it hits one person, then that’s enough.
“But I think the players deserve the credit because when you’re in a situation like that, it’s easy to just completely go under and just think you’re finished, but there’s a feeling around the place that we’re far from finished.
“Obviously getting the first win changes your mentality a bit and it can change your mindset. One win can change the course of your whole season, and we’ve started the year well and that’s the bare minimum, but we’re going to have to do this for the rest of the season.”
On getting consistent performances
“To be fair, I was seeing it even before West Ham, it was after Man United. We watched video of the United game, and it was bit embarrassing.
“We all left the meeting embarrassed and since then there was definitely a shift in the training, in the output in training, and what we were giving to the sessions, the intensity, and ever since then, training has been spot on.
“But it’s like anything, if you’re doing it in training, it’s going to happen in a game. What wins is consistency. Consistency wins games. We’ve started to train consistently and at a way better level, so there’s no coincidence that you start to get the results.”
On continuing momentum against Newcastle
“We know how important that is, especially after Forest won [against West Ham], so we’re chasing them all down now. We know that we have to keep winning and we can’t afford to lose any more ground at all.
“We’ve got to stay unbeaten, we’ve got to keep going and one win can change the entire course of your whole season, and that will apply against this weekend. We’ve got to keep the momentum going because you never know what might happen.
“We did win six in a row last year, and I know a few players have changed, but if you’re confident enough, anything’s possible.”
