Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has taken inspiration from Stoke City as he prepares to take the club back into the Premiership next season.

"I doubt we'll do it as well as we did it this season," he said of his team's run of seven wins from their first eight games.

"It makes a hell of a difference to your self-belief and self esteem.

"If you're not bottom, you're not starting from two or three games in and you're not being questioned.

"But maintaining that same level of calm about the place - whether we've won one or lost one - is important.

"Tony Pulis at Stoke has been brilliant in that. Did Stoke not win for nine games?

"It didn't matter, he just kept plugging away, he highlighted a game at home that they knew they'd win and that got them back on track." W