'Wolves' last laps in Premier League for now need not be a bitter experience'

[Getty Images] Readers with long memories will recall the days when Wolves used to play football matches. Their elongated 25-day gap between games was the result of an unfortunate combination of circumstances and was unwelcome. Football seasons have a natural rhythm and before this break, for the first time, Wolves had at last seemed to be moving with the beat.

Seven points from the past three league games did more than just ensure they would overtake Derby's 11-point record, of which they had been reminded all winter. They were not always fluent or attractive in those games, but had at last begun to appear regularly competitive even against strong sides. The possibility of somehow tunnelling out of the bottom three has remained just within sight for those willing to believe in it.

While the club and their fans have been coming to terms with what relegation means for some time now, there is no harm in talking up that faint chance. You have got to have a dream. It should also ensure that the players, who kept trying even when prospects were at their most bleak, push hard to the end.

Their supporters deserve that, at the very least. Clearly, some will also have personal motivations. Several Wolves players are World Cup probables for their countries.