Wolves boss Glenn Hoddle was reflecting on all the drawn games since he took over and just how close his side might have been to the play offs with two or three of them converted into wins after collecting all three against the Clarets.
“We got the break tonight and the other results seem to have gone for us,” said former
Kenny Miller got the crucial first goal despite not playing particularly well. “It wasn’t one of Kenny’s better games,” added Hoddle, “But he got the goal that had a big influence on the game and that’s what being a good striker is all about.
“Paul Ince had a good game though. His influence is an inspiration. He got his just rewards with a lovely strike. We’ve had a lot of games recently in a short space of time and so he deserves a couple of days rest.
“I also want to mention Jody Craddock who has been magnificent in the last couple of matches. I though he was our best player tonight. He’s an unsung hero.”
Steve Cotterill had no qualms at all about the result but looked at the number of games we have had to play in the last few weeks. He admitted that the break was something his players needed.
“I thought we looked what we are, tired and leg weary and we looked as though we couldn’t get about the park,” he admitted after the 2-0 defeat.
“All the things that we have done this season that have got us results, we just didn’t look as though we had enough. We were tired and whether we had one up front or two up front, I don’t think it would have made a difference.
“We are disappointed with the first goal because it was a sloppy free kick and we talked about Miller being a goalscorer about an hour before the game.
“Dare I say it, we looked like a team who have almost guaranteed safety.”
He was quick to praise the home side and added, “Wolves have some very good attacking players though and to stop Mille, to stop Cort and to stop Seol scoring goals is difficult. It is a squad you would be envious of.
“I thought they got luck with the second though because it looked as though Ince as gone to head it and missed it and then it sat up well for him. From then on Ince is going to score or at least hit the target from the edge of the area. And from there it was uphill.
“I don’t think John McGreal deserved to be sent off and I don’t know what he was booked for the first time. There were some strange decisions out there, but that’s not what we blame for the result.
“You can’t just come here and not be good enough and expect to get a result and we weren’t quite good enough. I can’t have too much gripe because the lads have given me everything this season and we weren’t quite good enough here.”
As for the top six he added, “The play offs might have been a realistic target when we were tenth with four games in hand, but it was always going to be a big ask. Nobody ever talked about the play offs.”
Looking forward he said, “We have nine games to go now and we have to aim to finish like we started the first nine games. We need to get the game at