Mick McCarthy hopes that Wolves will have clinched survival in the Premier League before the final day of the season.
Wolves boss wants to avoid repeat of last season's last-day drama
Mick McCarthy hopes that Wolves will have clinched survival in the Premier League before the final day of the season.
The Molineux outfit were not sure of their status before the concluding day of last season's campaign, before avoiding relegation despite a defeat against Blackburn.
They are in their third successive season in the top flight since their promotion in 2009, and achieved a 15th-placed finish in the 2009/10 season.
McCarthy's side are in familiar form this term and are only one place and two points above the drop zone after 15 games.
In fact, 11 teams are separated by just 10 points in the division, offering all the bottom-half-of-the-table sides a chance to climb the league with a consistent run.
Jockeying for position
McCarthy said: "I think it will go to the end again, without a doubt. Everyone is jockeying for position again.
"The teams that have come up, QPR, Swansea and Norwich, are doing great - we've got Norwich on Tuesday and that is going to be a huge game for us.
"It will go down to the last knock-ins. Would I take it? Well if it means we stay in the league. But we want to be better than that.
"It's a lot nicer feeling when there are a couple of games to go and you are still in the league. We just generally want to be better but I think it will be just as tight.
"Whether it's all the bottom eight or whether it's just two there will be somebody vying for something on the last day, win or lose.
"It won't all be cut and dried, not a chance."
Meanwhile, McCarthy believes the busy, festive period offers his side a valuable opportunity to climb the table and put more pressure on their relegation rivals.
After Saturday's visit of Stoke, Wolves face Norwich, Arsenal, Bolton and Chelsea in the space of just 13 days.
Vital period
McCarthy added: "It does make it a vital period when you have a glut of games coming up. If you have four or five games within a short period of time, you're playing for 15 points.
"And if you get nine of them then suddenly you're there nearer the top, or if you don't get what you should have then you're down there and teams have got away from you - it does accentuate the difference between the top and the bottom.
"I'm not happy with the points we've got so far - I think we should have had more, because we had a good start."
