Skipper keen to maintain standards We have done well so far but are only three games in to a 46-game season and there is an awful long way to go" Sam Ricketts Whilst sharing the early-season optimism generated by Wolves’ start to the Sky Bet League One season, you won’t find skipper Samuel Ricketts in the least bit getting carried away. “There is a long way to go” is the general consensus from a defender who matches an excitement with what the revamped Wolves squad could achieve this season with a realism that it won’t always go their way. Tonight’s visit of Crawley Town to Molineux (7.45pm) is the next step on that early season road with Ricketts knowing Wolves will have to show consistency over a long period of time to enjoy a successful season. “There is a fairly young squad here now but it is a hungry side with players desperate to do well individually and for the club,” said Ricketts. “It shows the spirit that everyone was up there celebrating the winner at Bristol City which came with just a few minutes to go. “The quality is undoubtedly here. “The tests are whether we can maintain it with such a young squad and also being able to repeat it with a similar level of performance to what we have shown so far. “We have done well so far but are only three games in to a 46-game season and there is an awful long way to go. “There are going to be times when teams will throw a lot of obstacles at us and we will have to overcome them. “And everyone always needs a little bit of luck along the way so hopefully we will get our fair share. “When you win games you should never get too high and when you lose games you should never get too low. “I didn’t hear any viewpoints after the first couple of games when we hadn’t scored but no one was panicking, especially with the players we have got. “Since then we’ve played really well to win 4-0 and then won a very good game away from home. “You can’t say we are going to win every home game three or four nil – there are going to be times when we will need to scrape a 1-0 which is just as important, possible more so, than winning 4-0. “We need everyone to stay calm, we are only three games into a long season. “If after 40 games or so we are still playing to this standard we should be there or thereabouts.” Ricketts has been a consistent and steady influence so far this season, leading the team to those two wins and a draw from the first three league fixtures having missed the Capital One Cup defeat at Morecambe through illness. He believes long spells particularly of the Gillingham and Bristol City fixtures have offered a flavour of the sort of standards Wolves should be aiming for on a regular basis. “It’s been a very encouraging start which could only have bettered by three wins!” he said. “Performances have been of a good quality and we have deservedly won two and drawn one. “Against Bristol City, I thought the first half was as good if not better than how we played against Gillingham. “In the second half, after conceding we stopped doing what we do best but still managed to show great character and resilience to come through and win the game. “We have learned certain lessons from the game but still came away with three points. “If we perform like we know we can we will be there or thereabouts.”
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:57:36 +0000
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