The development side ended last year in second position in the Premier League 2 Division 2 season thanks to three away wins on the bounce to round off a positive finish to 2020.
Successive victories against Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City propelled the team up the table, and Collins is hoping his players can continue that outstanding run of form in the opening match of 2021.
This afternoon’s opposition come into the match off the back of a mixed run of results having already faced one match already this year, as Burnley fell to a 4-1 loss to Leeds United.
However, Steve Stone’s young Clarets side had ended last year on an unbeaten five-game run before falling to the league leaders last week.
Due to a late change in venue to Burnley’s training ground, the usual live coverage on Wolves TV will NOT be available for this afternoon’s fixture. Follow @WolvesAcademy on Twitter for match updates, while reaction will follow on wolves.co.uk.
WHEN
Monday, 1.30pm
WHERE
Barnfield Training Centre, Burnley
LAST THREE
Wolves
2-1 vs Norwich City (A)
4-2 vs West Bromwich Albion (A)
1-2 vs Port Vale* (A) PJT
Burnley
1-4 vs Leeds United (H)
3-1 vs Reading (H)
1-0 vs Stoke City (A)
*indicates first-team opposition
WHAT THE BOSS THINKS
On getting back to action
“Our first two games back are Burnley and Leeds, and what both of those clubs will be proud of, is that they both have a philosophy and a way of playing.
“Burnley aren’t going to surprise us with the style they will play and the way they approach the game, because they have a really distinct way of playing, as do Leeds.”
On the test posed by Burnley
“We know what to expect, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to play against. Neither Burnley or Leeds will totally surprise us, but both will be very tough challenges.
“They are both very competitive and want to win games, so the challenge for us is to input our way of playing and do a better job of it than their way of playing.
“We have a ‘Wolves Way’ and they have a ‘Burnley Way’ and we’ve got to do ours better than them.”
NEXT FIVE
18/01 Burnley (A)
25/01 Leeds United (H)
01/02 Stoke City (A)
12/02 Aston Villa (A)
21/02 Crystal Palace (H)
