Wolves boss makes a dig ahead of Chorley cup tie

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo makes a dig over the pitch of non league outfit Chorley ahead of the much anticipated FA Cup tie on Friday.

The game is set to have a pitch inspection at 5:30pm due to the effects of Storm Christoph which has left the pitch sodden wet.

Now the Premier league boss have expressed his concern at the conditions of it with the National League North side trying to everything possibly to get the fixture on.

Nuno Espirito Santo fears for his Wolves players’ safety on the Chorley pitch as they try to avoid a repeat of the most humiliating night in their history.

Wolves, who were in the Fourth Division when they were beaten 3-0 by Chorley in a first-round replay back in 1986, will be hoping to avoid an upset, but that has been made harder with the pitch soaking wet.

Fast forward to today, there are five tiers separating the two clubs, and with Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers in dismal form of late, winning one of their last seven matches, they will be hoping that they don’t replicate the same night as 35 years ago.

Nuno is expecting to name a strong team but deeply concerned about the playing surface.

“We have seen photos taken in the last couple of days and it looks bad,’ said Nuno. ‘We have to be ready. It will not be an excuse for us,” he said.

🐺🔊 “We must adapt to difficult Chorley pitch”

Nuno isn’t taking tonight’s opponents lightly. #wwfc #wolves pic.twitter.com/fWfqeLB9g7

— Wolves Fancast (@WWFCFancast) January 22, 2021

“The referee will be there. People will be there to judge whether the pitch is suitable, or whether it can put players’ fitness in danger and cause serious injury, but that is not my decision. I can have an opinion but I am focused on getting my players ready to compete.

“We know we have to adapt. The warm-up will be very important for the players to adapt to the pitch and make better decisions.”

On Nuno’s concerns about the safety of the pitch, Chorley chairman Ken Wright says “there’s nothing wrong with the pitch” and that the game will go ahead “on a decent playing surface.”

Spoken to Chorley FC Chairman Ken Wright ahead of tonight’s huge #FACup tie against Wolves.

On Nuno’s concerns about the safety of the pitch he says “there’s nothing wrong with the pitch” and that the game will go ahead “on a decent playing surface.”

More @SkySportsNews #wwfc pic.twitter.com/YnWrlDYTLm

— Ben Ransom (@BenRansomSky) January 22, 2021

Officials say that they are confident the pitch will hold up, but a pitch inspection has been issued just in case for the players’ welfare.

Here is what it looked like come mid-day on Friday, rather promising, no?

Meanwhile, Chorley boss Jamie Vermiglio has made a vow, and it is a pretty hilarious yet random one of that.

“If we beat Wolves I will sing the full Adele song in Donald Duck,” he said. “I will commit to it now.

“I am a man of my word,” he said. “A few players were saying some false promises, ‘If we beat Wigan, if we beat Peterborough we will do this and that’ and I said ‘I’ll do my next interview as Donald Duck’.”

“It [the impression] has come from my teaching days,” he said. “I’ve always been able to do the Donald Duck voice as a kid and when you go into teaching you look to have little tricks up your sleeve to try and get the kids onside.

“My kids and family get embarrassed about it now. My little boy said ‘Don’t ever go on national TV and do that again Dad’.”

Derby manager Wayne Rooney got in touch with Chorley before the two side’s meeting earlier in January.

“It just says a lot of that person,” said the non league boss. “It has taken two minutes of his day but it makes my day. What a story that I can say to the kids at school I’ve spoken to Wayne Rooney.”

Chorley love a sing-song, and even more so when it comes to Adele, with many a viral video made after their impressing FA Cup wins as can be seen below…

Here we go, then – @Adele 🙌 pic.twitter.com/jPhuIvu6dZ

— Chorley FC (@chorleyfc) January 9, 2021

The video footage has caught the attention of the singer herself, who simply replied to it with a love heart emoji, which got as much as 17,000 ‘likes’.

❤️

— Adele (@Adele) January 10, 2021

Vermiglio hopes the club’s FA Cup win over Wolves 35 years ago can be inspiration for his players, saying: “If the players can be motivated even more, we’re going to try it by utilising the spirit of ’86 and what that team did.

“That’s what they’ve got to aim for. The game in ’86 brings an extra bit of spice, mainly because those people are still here.

“We’re fortunate enough to have people like Ken Wright, chairman of our club, who was the manager on that day. So for him, this is unbelievable to be reliving those memories.”

The last time Wolves have lost to non league opponents in this competition was against Luton Town, a 1-0 defeat in January 2013.

This is the furthest Chorley have even got to in the tournament, whereas Wolves have reached this stage a total of two times within the last twelve campaigns.

SEE MORE: Wolves receive apology from Chorley after angry response to West Brom post

Fans reacted as the Wolves boss makes a slight dig at the conditions of the pitch at Chorley ahead of the cup tie…

@ReeceDSport: Think he’d have a heart attack if he went Newport

@niksmith1410: Training on a non league pitch would help in preparing them

@wwfctom_: Can’t believe Nuno moaning at the pitch I played in worse away to Sway was like a flood plain grow up. No time for excuses #wwfc

@Jonatha96547835: Hopes he’s not getting his excuses in early

@MadristaCityzen: Excuses ready for if they lose.

@mabr82: Shouldve trained on a Sunday league pitch to help prepare

@joncoyle2: Bully said ‘get em practicing down a park pitch’. He was right!

@ElstoneGutters: Sounds like we are preparing for our most famous defeat!

@purplefirefly: Nuno and his churchillian speeches! He’d do well playing the captain of the Titanic! Seriously get a grip recognise this is what the FA cup is about stop whining and play football

@AndyCapp17: Get over it, grass roots is where it all starts

@spena2k10: I’m surprised they get the pitch in a playable condition after all the rain! Fair play to the grounds staff if that’s the case.