Doyle not ready to relax just yet

Soccer: Kevin Doyle believes Wolves still need two more wins to guarantee Barclays Premier League football for another campaign…

Soccer:Kevin Doyle believes Wolves still need two more wins to guarantee Barclays Premier League football for another campaign. Mick McCarthy's side look favourites to survive after a goalless home draw with Stoke moved them six points clear of the bottom three.

But Doyle is aware it could all change around very quickly even though Wolves appear to have a reasonable run-in with home games against Blackburn and Sunderland and away trips to Fulham and Portsmouth.

“We have put ourselves in a very good position and in the last two months we’ve really turned the corner,” the Republic of Ireland international said. “We’ve got ourselves out of the bottom three and we are two wins away from being able to relax and enjoy it.

“It depends what the other teams do but if we just do our own job, get two wins, I am sure we will be fine. But Burnley’s win over Hull was unexpected. It changes from week to week. It might give them confidence to go on a run so it is not over until it is over.

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“If we lose, and one of the others below us win, then we are potentially only one game away from being back in the bottom three if results go the other way. We have to keep on our toes, keep training hard and if we do that, we will be fine. The good thing is our destiny is in our own hands.”

Doyle is full of praise for the way Wolves coped with the long throws of Stoke midfielder Rory Delap — a total of 24 during the 90 minutes.

He said: “We defended excellently from their main threat in the game. From open play, they didn’t create much but from the throw-ins and corners, they are very dangerous.

“We didn’t make a massive deal of it because then you are on edge and nervous about the situation. You realise it is a string to their bow that you have to deal with it.

“We were organised, we practised it for 20 minutes, and everyone knew their jobs and the lads at the back were unbelievable. It was constant for the whole game and they had to keep concentrating. “I think there were a few cut heads but it was brilliant the way we handled the situation.”