Matt Maher: Another victory puts Wolves in sight of safety

But that chink of light, barely visible when Julen Lopetegui first arrived in November, would be burning a whole lot brighter should they manage a third Premier League win in a row.

Lopetegui will continue to urge caution.

The road away from a relegation scrap is rarely smooth, yet Wolves have a chance to make it significantly less uncomfortable.

From a point where they were bottom of the pile, four points from safety just seven matches ago, victory tomorrow could potentially put them up to 12th, in all probability requiring just four wins from the remaining 15 matches to clinch survival.

It’s a huge afternoon.

For the second week running, there is also the chance to deal a direct blow to the confidence of a rival at the wrong end of the table.

Bournemouth, like Southampton last weekend, are on a rotten run of form having taken just two points from seven matches since Christmas.

Manager Gary O’Neil has gone from being hailed a revelation to being bookies’ favourite for the next top-flight boss to lose his job.

Still, the Cherries sit just five points behind Wolves, who must ensure it is not the day they rediscover any momentum.

The wider significance of victory against Southampton has become clear during a week which saw Nathan Jones sacked within hours of the final whistle and Jesse Marsch pull out of a deal to become his successor, having determined the risk of taking the job outweighed the potential rewards.

With 16 matches to go, the Saints are now scrambling to find their third manager of the season.

Wolves look comfortably the strongest and most stable of the bottom six at present but they cannot afford complacency.

Whether it be through ability or desperation, teams in even the deepest trouble tend to find at least a little rhythm in the final run-in.

Win tomorrow and there is a greater chance Wolves could be away and safe from the battle against the drop before it really starts to heat up.