Although not pleased with the quality of the performance, Rob Edwards praised the battling spirit of his team as Wolves fought hard to add a point to their Premier League tally on the road against Nottingham Forest.
The Old Gold faced 35 shots on their travels to the City Ground on Wednesday night, but came away with a clean sheet after a backs to the wall defensive display, and an impressive performance by goalkeeper Jose Sa, which could have ended up with his side snatching a late winner if Mateus Mane’s added time chance had found the back of the net.
But despite seeing his side produce a display which lacked quality, the head coach left the City Ground satisfied thanks to the character and heart on show from his players.
On a goalless draw with Forest
“I’m a little bit greyer, I’ve got a few more lines around the eyes after that. It was a stressful night. We weren’t very good in the first half and we had to adjust to the rhythm of the game.
“There was a few choice words said, but I thought we reacted well and we were better in the second half, but the rhythm of the game was set and they pushed us back and we had to defend and counter, but through that, we almost got a winner in the end.
“I’ll be very honest and I don’t think we’d have deserved that, but we did show loads of character, heart, fight, spirit – all of those things but not loads of quality.”
On first half struggles
“We’ve played better and lost this season. Definitely. No doubt about it. But I’ll give credit to Forest for the intensity they played with, they really pressed us and we weren’t able to build, and we didn’t go well into Tolu in the first half.
“We didn’t do it much better in the second half, but he came into it and gave us a platform and I thought he was excellent. But it was difficult for us to get any sort of rhythm or control into the game, so we had to try and control it without the ball.”
On second half changes
“I wanted us to show more intensity and fight as I thought it was a bit too easy for them in the first half and they ran over us a few times. [The six on one chance that Forest missed] was one of the things I was going mental at at half-time. They know that cannot happen.
“But they’re a really athletic, powerful team, and they have some amazing players in Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi, who I thought was a real threat, but we allowed too many crosses to come in the box, there were too many times where they could switch it and cross into the box from 40 yards out, so we had to change it and get some double width to try and protect it and stop the crosses from coming in.
“We needed a focal point and I thought Tolu gave us that in the second half, and we were better on second balls and duals – the basics of football – it was nothing pretty or sexy, but we did see more of that in the second half, no doubt.”
On Sa’s reactive double save
“It was incredible. Really impressive. He’s done really well. We’ve had three clean sheets in recent weeks and we have had a solid defence. We’re trying to get that side and also the attacking side, but the creating side is proving difficult at this level at the moment.
“But we’re proud that after the weekend when we were 3-0 down at half-time, we managed to get a clean sheet tonight. We’re trying really hard and the lads are trying really hard as well, and although we got a lot of stuff wrong tonight, the spirit is there.”
Thank you for your excellent support in Nottingham tonight! 👏 pic.twitter.com/dLfrrHp7Ft
— Wolves (@Wolves) February 11, 2026
On Mane’s late chance to snatch the three points
“It would have been typical of football really. I tied to stay quite calm and sit down thinking here we go. This would have been an amazing moment for us, but it wasn’t to be.
“But that’s what I like about the lads, it wasn’t just one player trying to get up around Tolu on the counter, it was three or four, and I would have loved us to take advantage of that moment, but it wasn’t to be
“I think we’re making progress, but it’s been a challenge. We’re trying to change and be more solid and we’re trying to win games at this level, but it’s difficult and you can see that. But you can’t question the lads’ effort.”
On battling until the end of the season
“There’s a lot to play for. We’re playing for our futures, we’re playing for our football club, we’re playing for ourselves and our families, so it’s not that at all.
“A lot of people will be making a lot of it now, that we’re going to go down and all that sort of stuff, but our focus is on trying to improve and trying to get the football club back into a position, not where it deserves to be, because no one has a God-given right to be anywhere, but we’ve got to earn it again.
“We know we’ve made some mistakes and we’ve been honest about that, but now we’re in a process to try and change things. From the outside looking in, people will think there’s a black cloud over the place and people have given up, but that’s not true and not the case. They’re fighting and we showed that.
“It’s a challenge, but if we give up as coaches and staff, then there’s an excuse from everywhere, so we’ve got to make sure we bring our A game every single day, our enthusiasm and belief, and the lads bounce off that as well. We’re all playing for something.
“We’re playing in the Premier League. It’s going out there globally, and people are going to see you, so it’s important for the lads to show their best. It’s individual and collective. Whatever it is that motivates you. A lot of the lads won’t know where they’re going to be, let’s be brutally honest about it, there’s going to be changes in the summer and they’ve got to fight for it.”
