Oakes Insists Promotion Battle Is A Marathon Not A Sprint

365 Interview by Iain Spragg

WOLVES keeper Michael Oakes believes the men from Molineux are already strong enough to cope with life in the Premiership but insists it will be the stamina of Colin Lee's side that will decide whether they finally win promotion to the top-flight. Wanderers, currently seventh in the first division, could move into the play-off places if they beat sixth-place Huddersfield on Saturday but Oakes insists it will the side's staying power after this weekend that will prove crucial.

After a disappointing start to the season, Wolves have enjoyed a second-half renaissance and since the New Year they have lost just two league games - both to runaway Division One leaders Charlton. Their impressive run has seen the team steadily climb the table and they are now firmly back in the hunt for promotion.

"Colin Lee has brought in a few more players this season and we have real strength in depth now," Oakes told Football365. "A lot of first division sides that have won promotion in recent seasons have struggled in the Premiership but I think we've now got the resources to cope if we went up. But there's still a long way to go this season and we're not there yet.

"The Huddersfield match is a big one because we can leapfrog them into sixth if we win but our promotion chances don't hinge on this one game," the 26-year-old added. "With teams like Fulham, Blackburn and Bolton all just below us, it's going to be a long, hard slog. The games are coming thick and fast now and I think the teams that show the most staying power will get an all-important top six finish. We just have to keep plugging away."

Wolves are the perennial under-achievers of the first division and despite threatening to make into the top-flight for many seasons, have repeatedly failed to achieve their goal. But Oakes insists the current side is not weighed down by the club's past disappointments.

"The fact that people expect so much from the players and club doesn't play on my mind and I don't think it affects the rest of the lads either," the former Aston Villa keeper told Football365. "Wolves are an ambitious club and desperately want to play in the Premiership but the fans have to be patient. We are in a decent position at this stage of the season but we know things can change."

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