Paul Lambert likes what Jack Price brings to Wolves

Price had not featured in the league since been hauled off at half-time during the 4-0 home defeat to Barnsley on September 13.

Under previous boss Walter Zenga – and then caretaker Rob Edwards – he hadn't even made the substitutes' bench in recent weeks.

But Lambert restored Price to the fold for the 0-0 draw at Preston on Saturday and the academy graduate rewarded the new boss with a man of the match performance.

Lambert said: "Did I have any hesitation bringing him back into the fold? Not on what I saw, from 10 days of training, I had no hesitation on that front.

"When you play lads that have not played for a long time they can get little niggles here and there at times. That's a hit you have to take.

"I think it was important and he came through. He was excellent. He smells the danger and has a good eye for a pass.

"He's a clever footballer, Jack. I was delighted with the way he played."

Wolves are winless in eight and have tasted victory just four times in the Championship this season.

But despite their poor form and a lowly league position of 19th, Lambert doesn't feel like there's a depression hanging over the club – far from it.

"It's not down in the dumps," he said of the current atmosphere.

"I'm a great believer in, if you win, lose or draw you can't over-analyse it because it can drag you right down, especially if you lose.

"I try to keep the place upbeat. I think it's important. Too many people can come in with long faces and that's not good for anybody.

"I try to keep everything upbeat and I think the feeling about the place is good. I can only say what I've seen in the past couple of weeks.

"From what I've seen everyone is up and at it – and that's what I'm looking for."

Tributes will be paid to Steve Bull and Andy Thompson at this weekend's home game against Sheffield Wednesday to mark the 30-year anniversary since the pair joined the club from fierce rivals West Bromwich Albion.

Lambert described Bully's 30-year association with Wolves as 'incredible'.

The pair could well have been team-mates had Bully not shunned a move to Celtic in the 1990s, with Lambert moving to Celtic Park in 1997. And the new boss said of Bull: "He scored against Scotland, didn't he!

"It was a bit before my time – 1995 was when I first started playing for Scotland.

"I remember it being 2-0 at Hampden. But Steve was always one of the main names here. Bull and Don Goodman were a handful as a partnership.

"His legacy here is huge, you see that all the time.

"I remember Andy Gray scoring the League Cup final goal in 1980 and he was another brilliant striker for Wolves.

"Steve was obviously here for many years (13) which nowadays is unheard of.

"I know the legacy of it and the history. He's one of Wolves' most revered players.

"To have a 30-year association with one particular team is incredible. It's half your lifetime!

"It's a great achievement and if he's got that adulation from the fans then why would you do anything else other than be around the club?

"That'll be his legacy here. They've got the stand named after him as well. That stand will still be there long after us, so to be recognised in that way is fantastic and shows what he did for the club."