McCarthy condemns Wolves fans for mocking injured Etherington

A section of supporters started singing ‘Your’re not going to Wembley’ – a reference to the fact Etherington’s injury might mean he is ruled out of the FA Cup final on May 14.

McCarthy was quick to condemn those comments ahead of tomorrow’s derby at Birmingham although he has nothing but praise for the general backing he and the team have received this season.

He said: “I don’t subscribe to chanting about anyone that is injured or things that have happened in the past.

“You had Colin Bell talking about the Manchester City chants (about the Munich air disaster).

“I just don’t see it. It is not on in any shape or form for me. Matty Etherington strikes me as a good lad, he is a terrific player.

“It shouldn’t happen at any club. If I was a Stoke player that would be certain to rev me up and I am sure Tony Pulis used it at half-time in his team talk.”

The Wolves fans were unhappy after the 3-0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium left them in the bottom three.

But McCarthy said: “We were hopeless, we were well beaten. It was just as well (goalkeeper) Wayne Hennessey played so well or we would have been beaten by more.

“That (the fans being unhappy) doesn’t bother me. I went to applaud the fans as I always do.

“The supporters have been fantastic. There has been almost unequivocal support from Wolves fans for five years while I have been here.

“It has been a tough time, that was a real poor performance and you expect it.

“I said to the players (on Thursday) ‘if you are getting that stick, you are getting it for a reason’.

“They pay the money to come and support us. If we don’t play well, I expect to get it (stick). We didn’t compete.”

Wolves have taken only one point from the last four games but McCarthy expects a positive reaction at St Andrew’s.

He said: “I get positives out of the fact that, whenever we have hit rock bottom, as in performance or actually hitting rock bottom of the league, I’ve had a good response. That is because of the nature of the players here and they were disappointed and angry after the Stoke game – rightfully so because we were poor.”

Striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake is again ruled out with a hamstring problem. But McCarthy is hoping striker Steven Fletcher has recovered from a knee problem in time to face Alex McLeish’s side.

He said: “Sylvan has not trained so there is no chance. It is a hamstring and he is aware of it. There is nothing you can do to rush it.”