We don't need to buy in January, says McCarthy

Mick McCarthy believes Wolves' Premier League survival prospects will not be defined by spending in the January transfer window.

The club moved off the bottom of the league with a win at Liverpool on Wednesday, and McCarthy feels it is the drive and determination shown in that match which will be the difference between success and failure.

"That's the kind of spirit I want," he said yesterday. "I'm not looking to replace players I've got, I'm looking for me and the players to pull our fingers out and perform like we did at Anfield more often, and not like we did against Wigan. That in itself will be the catalyst for us staying up, not whether we get any players in, better or worse than we've already got."

McCarthy also lamented the club's injury crisis, which has left key players unavailable for lengthy spells. "We've had a tough time because I've lost two captains from my side, Karl Henry and Jody Craddock. That doesn't help," the former Sunderland manager said. "We've lost Kevin Doyle for three weeks, and Michael Mancienne – the injury list has just been ridiculous. If I could get those players back I'd be thrilled and we'd be a far better squad. As it's always panned out with me at Wolves, somebody generally steps up and makes a name for themselves or becomes the hero, and Stephen Ward did it [against Liverpool]."

McCarthy added that while the club are looking for reinforcements, he would not say how many players he hopes to bring in. "I would never put a number on it, ever since I did it a few years ago, that was a huge schoolboy error," he said. "We're looking to strengthen the squad and give it a bit of support. We're trying all sorts, but as every other manager will tell you, January is a difficult transfer window.

"Maybe the result we had at Anfield will help us get someone in, because going to the bottom and playing as badly as we did against Wigan didn't make us a very attractive option to people."

Wolves visit West Ham United today, having leapfrogged their struggling opponents after the victory against Liverpool.