Hennessey will stay strong

Keeper must put domestic matters behind him this weekend

By Chris Burton   Last updated: 8th October 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Hennessey will stay strong

Hennessey: Needs mental strength

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Wales goalkeeping coach Paul Jones is backing Wayne Hennessey to bounce back from his recent axe.

The young shot-stopper was dropped from Wolves' first team for their Championship defeat at Swansea on Saturday.

Hennessey's boss at club level, Mick McCarthy, felt the 21-year-old needed a rest after his early season exertions.

Jones, who enjoyed a spell at Molineux during his paying days, was surprised to see the youngster left out at the weekend, but expects Hennessey to be fully focused on the task in hand when Wales face Liechtenstein on Saturday.

Draining

"He was dropped and that surprised me. He was disappointed and that is great because that is the reaction what you want," said Jones.

"He had made a mistake against Reading the week before but he still had a decent game by all accounts, but Mick made the decision. It is an experience he will have again, unfortunately, but he will bounce back.

"It does happen to a keeper because there is only one spot. I have told him to do his job, enjoy training and look forward to the game on Saturday.

"But I accept that he has played a lot, which is draining more mentally than physically. But he is looking fine.

"He wants to play every game, that is natural, and I don't think what has happened will affect John Toshack's thinking. He has done very well for us.

"It will be interesting to see how Wayne reacts, but I have told him he has to bounce back now. It is another part of growing up and learning the trade.

"These experiences will build his character and I am sure he can handle it."

Competition

Should Hennessey be overlooked once again this weekend, Jones is confident Hull's Boaz Myhill will prove to be an able deputy.

"Boaz has done well and Hull have made a great start to the season. He is a chirpy lad and we probably needed a little more of that with so many youngsters in the squad," he added.

"We did not have that much competition in goal. But Tosh wanted to have two guys pushing for each spot.

"Wayne has done the job for us and you cannot dispute that and Boaz has done very well at Hull. It is very close between them now."