Stephen Ward has heaped praise upon Mick McCarthy after Wolves gained a crucial three points at the weekend.

The Midlands side have had a troubled start to their campaign, including a five-game losing streak, but have begun to find form recently with wins over fellow strugglers Wigan and Sunderland.

"We give everything for the manager and the staff because we work day in and day out with them," said left-back Ward, who captained the side during their 2-1 triumph over the Black Cats on Sunday.

"We know what the manager has done for this club. It would be wrong not to go out and give 110 per cent for him because he's done everything for us since a lot of us have joined the club and got us to where we are today.

"We probably wouldn't be playing Premier League football if it wasn't for his guidance. It's important we all stick together and once we cross that white line do all we can to get the three points for ourselves, the manager, the fans, the club as a whole."

Last season Wolves managed wins over Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea but struggled against those around them in the table.

"We probably didn't get enough points from the teams around us last season," added Ward. "You can't be expected to beat the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea although you want to take points from these games.

"I think over the last two years we've done fantastically well. You've got to realise it's a really tough league. We could have easily gone straight back down. But we've got two seasons in a row behind us and now looking to make it three."

Next up for Wolves is a trip to Old Trafford on Saturday.