McCarthy backs young guns

The Molineux men travel to Portman Road to take on Ipswich tonight hoping to close the gap on the play-offs places.

McCarthy was delighted to see his inexperienced side - which boasted an average age of just 23 - pass a stern test of character against Burnley on Saturday.

He feels the team will benefit from that experience when the "nerves start jangling" towards the end of the season.

"Saturday was a big test of their mettle. There was a long way to go when Burnley got back to 2-1 after 54 minutes but they handled it very well," he said.

"I think the fact that we have a young team does help in certain ways - many of them have never been involved in a promotion race and missed out before.

"That experience can leave you fearful of missing out but they don't have that because they're young and hungry for success."

McCarthy also paid tribute to his clutch of experienced campaigners.

"We have got some good experience in the side and that should stand us in good stead," he said.

"I did say over recent weeks that perhaps we needed a bit of experience and someone to put their foot on the ball and slow things down. There have been certain times in certain games where we needed someone who had been there before.

"But the lads have been wearing the gold shirt with pride. I don't think anyone can fault them for effort and commitment."

McCarthy is predicting nervous times ahead for fans of the sides battling for the top six - but with three of their main rivals still to visit Molineux the Wolves boss feels they are in charge of their own fate.

"We've got 13 games left and that little bit of nervousness that we had on Saturday will only increase now. But the nerves won't only be jangling for us - it'll be everywhere else too."