Wolverhampton Wanderers supremo Mick McCarthy was happy to swap praise for his side’s football for the three points from last weekend’s 1-0 Midlands derby win over Birmingham.

Steven Hunt’s strike on the stroke of half-time gave the struggling Wanderers their second consecutive home win. And McCarthy said afterwards:

“I’ve been delighted by the performance, application and team spirit every week, but it’s a result today and that’s all that matters.”

That is a view which will resonate among Wolves’ fans as they head for this Sunday’s Black Country derby at their bitterest rivals West Bromwich Albion.

Wolves go into the game with a shocking away record and they haven’t won at the Hawthorns for 14 years.

And while McCarthy recognises the importance of the game to fans, he tried to play down its significance to the season as a whole.

He said: “I know it’s a huge game, don’t get me wrong. But whoever we are playing it would be a huge game.

“I understand the importance of it locally. But I don’t go down the road of ‘if you win the two against West Brom it doesn’t matter what else happens.”

Defender Christophe Berra is a doubt for the derby as he struggles to recover from the badly bruised thigh he suffered in colliding with a goalpost against Birmingham.

The 25-year-old rates his chances as “50-50” and added: “It’s quite badly bruised but it’s been getting better every day with treatment.