Wolves ride their luck as Vitinha's rocket sinks Chorley

LONDON:Nuno Espirito Santo admitted Wolves had been lucky to scrape into the FA Cup fifth round as Vitinha's sublime strike sealed a hard-fought 1-0 win against nonleague Chorley on Friday.

Nuno's side were fortunate to avoid an embarrassing upset after a lacklustre display at Victory Park.

Vitinha's brilliant long-range drive put Wolves ahead early in the first half.

But sixth tier Chorley, the last non-league club standing in this season's competition, pushed Wolves all the way and could easily have forced extra-time.

Wolves keeper John Ruddy had to make several good saves before they secured a last 16 tie against Southampton or Arsenal.

"They were well organised. We should have moved the ball faster but a win is a win. They were tough," Nuno said.

"The scene was set for us to lose this game. It was difficult to keep possession. We adapted well to the pitch. It was important for everyone we went to the next round."

Wolves are winless in their past six Premier League games and Nuno will hardly have been encouraged that a revival is around the corner after their trip to suburban Lancashire.

Nuno made six changes from last weekend's loss to local rivals West Bromwich Albion, but still included the likes of Conor Coady, Joao Moutinho and £35 million preseason signing Fabio Silva.

Reflecting the huge divide between the teams, Chorley captain Scott Leather booked the day off from his job as a lift engineer to play for the part-timers.

Many of Leather's team-mates spent the day at work, including their manager Jamie Vermiglio, who is a primary school headteacher.

Having beaten Wigan, Peterborough and Derby, National League North Chorley were enjoying their best ever FA Cup run and they gave Wolves a real scare as well.

"We just said we are disappointed. That says a lot. We were excellent, really disciplined and looked like we were going to score every time we got into the box," Vermiglio said.

"Credit to our lads. These are part time players with full time mentality

"We have enjoyed every moment of it. We have done ourselves proud. An amazing moment for all of us."

Chorley almost snatched the lead when Harry Cardwell picked out Elliot Newby's run into the Wolves area and he chested down for a low shot that Ruddy smothered.