THE SIZE of their Irish contingent looks set to make Wolves next season’s Sunderland or Reading, with supporters of every club here keeping an eye out for their results each week. Stephen Ward is hoping the fixtures programme announced yesterday will help them overcome the challenge of surviving their first season in the top flight too.

Mick McCarthy’s side kick off their season at home to West Ham before a midweek visit to Wigan and a trip to Manchester City. It will be November, though, before they take on one of last year’s top four with Arsenal at home on the 9th followed by Chelsea away a couple of weeks later.

Manchester United and Liverpool then follow in mid- and late-December, respectively, by which time Ward is hoping that the newcomers will have racked up enough points against some of the Premier League’s more mundane sides to view anything that might be taken from title contenders as a welcome bonus.

“If we can hang in there and do as well as we can and pick up points from the start, it’s probably as kind a run as we could have hoped for,” said the former Bohemians player.

“You’ve got to play the ‘big four’ but hopefully with the way it’s worked out, it will help us find our feet. We know it will be tough but I’m sure the gaffer won’t want us scrapping for points right to the end of the season.”

Knowing as he does just how tough life in the top flight can be from his time at Sunderland, Ward’s “gaffer” made it clear yesterday that he won’t be dazzled by the bright lights at the likes of Anfield or Old Trafford during the months ahead.

“Why should I be looking forward to going to Old Trafford?” asked McCarthy yesterday. “I want to look forward to going to the grounds where we hope we’re going to win something. I want to be involved in games that we have a chance of winning, and it’s not going to be Man United and Arsenal and Liverpool, it’s going to be other teams. I want to win games, not just go and play at these stadiums and be a manager.”

Another former Ireland international, Owen Coyle, is making his managerial debut at this level and the 42-year-old said he was excited by the prospect of getting stuck into Burnley’s fixture list.

“What a fantastic start to have,” said Coyle after seeing that his side would start their campaign at Stoke before facing into a run of four games against Manchester United, Everton, Chelsea and Liverpool. “It doesn’t come any tougher and we are under no illusions about how difficult it will be. I think we’re the smallest town ever to play in the Premier League – when Manchester United play at home there’s more people at Old Trafford than in the whole town. But it is fantastic that we are even talking about it in same breath as Burnley Football Club and we aim to make the most of it. We know what it is about and we will be ready to give it our best.

“I am sure we are everyone’s favourite already to be relegated and as the underdogs that sits well with us.”