Paul Lambert: Give Wolves midfielder Dave Edwards the respect he deserves

The 31-year-old is approaching 300 appearances for Wolves and recently became the club’s first central midfielder in more than three decades to score 10 goals in a league campaign.

Andy King was the last to reach the mark in the 1985/86 campaign and Lambert said: “Dave Edwards has been huge for me since I have been at Wolves and it’s incredible what he has done in terms of goalscoring this season.

“I think he is a big catalyst for Wolves. The way he plays the game, the way he understands the game.

“His goalscoring record is exceptional, particularly from midfield.

“He is timing his runs into the box.

“The big thing people might not see is he is an incredible presser of the ball.

“The biggest compliment you can pay him is that he is a great professional.”

Despite the praise, Lambert believes Edwards’ efforts are often overlooked, in part because of the length of time he has now been at Molineux.

The Wales international has played under seven different bosses since first joining Wolves from Luton in January 2008.

Lambert continued: “It’s unfair. People come to clubs now and leave after a year. They talk about how much they love it and then bang, they are away.

“That is where the game falls down. Dave Edwards has fought through year after year, the ups and downs. He’s an international player.

“Players like that are worth their weight in gold. I really appreciate having him here.

“He has had ups and downs with this club but he has always done it when it matters.

“Sometimes you find players come to a club, leave and become better regarded than the ones who actually do the business for you.

“The ones who do it for you don’t always get appreciated.”