Wolves returned to winning ways on Tuesday against Everton in the Carabao Cup, and Andy Thompson raved over one star after his return to the side.
Wanderers now face Chelsea in the fourth round of the competition, which will be a big test.
But Wolves have been drawn at home to Chelsea, and Wanderers have won their last seven home ties in the Carabao Cup, which will give reason for optimism.
Against Everton, Wolves were much improved.
It was by no means a stellar performance, and Wolves did have to dig in a bit in the second-half.
But crucially the Wolves backline looked a lot more solid, with Vitor Pereira deploying a back four out of the blue.
And one player who gave a good performance was Matt Doherty.
Andy Thompson lauds ‘quality’ Matt Doherty and questions recent omission for Wolves
Wolves were all over the place at the back against Leeds, and that has been the case in several other games this season.
Unfortunately, the form of Emmanuel Agbadou has dipped spectacularly, and Toti Gomes has also struggled a lot.
Against Everton, Pereira decided to shake things up, with both of those players dropping to the bench.
In came Santiago Bueno, with Ladislav Krejci shifting back from midfield.
Doherty, who has been used to playing on the right of a three, operated as a right-back, and rolled back the years, leaving former Wolves defender Andy Thompson impressed.
He said on Matchday Live Extra: “He’s still a good player. A lot of experience, he’s played at the highest level. He’s done well for this club. But he still knows how to play. He still knows how to defend and do things right and in the right areas.
“How many times, when he was in trouble, he’s clipped it down the line or played it to a player up there. He’s got that quality, he’s got that feel about the way he plays – I just think that him not being in the side and us not using him at the weekend was a big mistake.
“He’s someone who has got the experience to be playing in there and be around the team even as a substitute.
Lee Naylor also expressed surprise about Doherty’s omission against Leeds, believing he may have helped to prevent Dominic Calvert-Lewin from scoring had he been playing.
Matt Doherty still has big part to play for Wolves
His years may be advancing, but Doherty showed on Tuesday night he still has a big part to play for Wolves this season.
The decision from Pereira to omit Doherty from the squad against Leeds was a strange one. By no means has he been one of Wolves’ worst players this season, and he’s someone who brings a lot in terms of leadership and professionalism.
If Pereira doesn’t fancy playing him, then at the very least he needs to still be in matchday squads, especially during tough periods.
This squad lacks leaders, so it’s important to keep the players that actually are leaders close to the group.