Brentford v Wolves FA Cup preview: Tommy Doyle aims to use cup as a first-team springboard

Just nine days after a remarkable 4-1 Premier League win over Brentford, Wolves return to the capital tonight to take on the Bees in the FA Cup third round.

Doyle came off the bench in that game before starting the 3-0 win over Everton, where he impressed, and the midfielder is eager to step into that starting role full-time.

“It was a tough week and now we’ve got an FA Cup game coming up, so we’ll play that and improve during this period,” Doyle said.

“We have to step up, when people can’t play or lads aren’t here (due to international duty), we step up and I’m sure we’ll do that again. We can get better, we can improve. We’ll keep doing the right things, keep working hard, and with the gaffer and his staff we can go really far, so hopefully that will happen.

“Whenever I’m called upon, I’m ready. That’s my goal, to be starting in this team, so whenever I get the chance, I’ve just got to put in as many good performances as I can and see what happens.

“I felt part of the group anyway, but when you’re on the pitch it means even more. I’m just happy to be out there, to be contributing, to be playing with the lads and enjoying it.”

Part of this stepping up process, as Doyle describes it, will be having to fill the void of Hwang Hee-chan, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Boubacar Traore, who have departed for the Asia Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.

With Wolves enjoying the Premier League winter break next weekend and the FA Cup taking up some fixtures throughout the month, Gary O’Neil’s side have fewer matches to contend with after a hectic festive period.

That means, heading into tonight’s game, O’Neil will have to find a balance between choosing a team capable of winning the game and giving fringe players – and potentially young stars – a chance at some minutes.

But the head coach is adamant the is determined to win, even though they will be without Mario Lemina again.

“There’s no rotation on our front, we’re taking the game extremely seriously, as we always do,” he said.

“Numbers are a bit short anyway so rotation would be tricky. We go there with as strong a team as we can and go to win the game.

“I’m not sure where Brentford will be with it, but as they’ve proven over the last few years, they’re a really tough team to beat, especially at home.

“They have a fantastic manager who has managed to over-achieve for a long time with the group and the budget.

“It will be a tough test. The 4-1 win will have no bearing on it. Brentford a couple errors that day and we were extremely clinical.

“We’re looking for a similar performance to that and to what we managed to produce against Everton.”