Steve Bull: Wolves stood up to Blues’ rough stuff

It was a battle at times but we fought hard enough to earn all three points, although we should have killed them off.

A few people have doubted whether Wolves would be able to rough it in the Championship,but there they were on a cold Monday night in a rugged local derby battling through to win a tight game.

John Ruddy hasn’t had a single save to make and a lot of that was down to the back three of Ryan Bennett, Conor Coady and Willy Boly, who were all superb.

They’re a force to be reckoned with and their defensive record speaks for itself.

We had Roderick Miranda and Danny Batth playing a few weeks ago and now Bennett has come in and they’re just as solid, plus Kortney Hause can’t get a kick at the moment which shows you how strong the unit is.

Ruben Neves is the key man in midfield and they did miss him a bit, but Alfred N’Diaye came in and showed he was up for the physical battle which was certainly needed.

He wasn’t going to spray any 40-yard passes, but it’s horses for courses in this league and N’Diaye is a good option to have.

Blues were targeting Diogo Jota and Marc Roberts should definitely have been sent off for that shocking tackle early on.

A few teams have tried to do this and it seems everyone can see what they’re up to except for referees.

Nuno must be going spare. He’s trying to protect his players – Wolves aren’t kicking lumps out of teams, they’re trying to play football.

But every team will be different and we’ve just got to adapt week by week.

Jota is a class act and he rose above it – he’s still only 21 and he’s going to get fitter, stronger and better.

n I’m signing copies of my calender at the Mander Centre on Saturday from 10am until 2pm and then at the Hollybush Garden Centre in Cheslyn Hay on Sunday between 11.30am and 3.30pm.

A big thank you to everyone who’s visited me at previous sessions.