Ryan Giles is preparing to go head-to-head with his old employers this weekend as Luton Town host a Wolves side who’s ‘outstanding’ first-half performance counted for nothing against Liverpool.
It was a day of déjà vu for Gary O’Neil.
His Wolverhampton Wanderers side, not for the first time this season, landing countless jabs into the ribs of a Premier League prizefighter, failing to land the knockout blow and then being caught cold by a mean right-hook.
Wolves squandered a great opening weekend display away at Manchester United – their forwards taking target practice lessons from Darth Vader’s Storm Troopers – and allowed another superb performance to go to waste against Liverpool last time out.
A repeat display away at winless, pointless and at-times hapless Luton may be enough to secure three points this time around, however, and Ryan Giles – who joined the Hatters from Wolves in the summer – knows his new side are in for quite the challenge.
Ryan Giles goes up against Wolves
“It’s going to be massive test as the Premier League an unforgiving division,” Giles, who set Rob Edwards’ side back a bargain £5 million, tells the Luton website.
“I know some of their players, having trained a bit with them this summer. There’s no hiding that they have some great players. I watched their first half against Liverpool as we were travelling to the game on Saturday, and in the first half they were outstanding.
“The Premier League is relentless, so we know that it’ll be a challenge. But we will prepare for that. It’s important we respect our opponents and then look for ways to hurt them.”
Telford-born Giles spent 15 years as a Wolves player after joining the club’s academy all the way back in 2008. An impressive tally of 12 assists during a fine spell at Middlesbrough last term was not enough to earn Giles a place in the first-team picture, however, Ryan Ait-Nouri, Toti Gomes and Hugo Bueno all providing excellent cover for the left-sided role.
‘I want to beat them’
“I’m looking forward to it,” GIles adds. “But I don’t want to overhype it just because it’s Wolves,” says the 23-year-old.
“Wolves are a club I was at since I was seven. It’s a club I hugely respect. They gave me a platform to be the player I am today, and I will always appreciate that. It’s a case of it being another game, and unfortunately for them I want to beat them this weekend!”