MICK McCarthy hadn’t done this much damage to Millwall since he signed misfiring Russian internationals Sergei Yuran and Vassili Kulkov and then upped sticks for the Ireland job.

Wolves were not just in a different class they were on a different planet, just the filip the silver-haired wizard needed after seeing his side crash to a woeful defeat at the weekend and then having to defend his former skipper who had received a fearful phone-pad bashing from Joey Barton.

It is a rare thing indeed when Wolves progress into the last 16 of any cup competition. More’s the pity that great swathes of gold (and the new black in a closed Stan Cullis Stand) seats served evidence of a fixture that failed to spark the public’s imagination. Only 7,749 bothered to show.

More pity them as they missed a potential star in the making in the form of 18-year-old James Spray.

He claimed a debut goal just three minutes after coming off the bench only to have McCarthy later confirm the ball had, in fact, gone in off Sam Vokes.

They also missed a venemous 25-yard fifth goal from man-of-the-match Adlene Guedioura.

McCarthy was looking for a reaction following the miserable defeat to QPR – and he didn’t have to wait long to get one. Within seven minutes his side – littered with eight changes and led out by captain for the night Stephen Hunt – had scored twice and the game was effectively over.

And just as pleasing was the sight of as many as half-a-dozen of his fringe players putting in strong claims for a starting place at Anfield this weekend.

Wolves had not scored in 270 minutes of League action since their 4-0 thumping of Northampton in the second round.

But just three minutes had elapsed when Hunt’s ball from the left saw Vokes rising high in the box and Dave Edwards reacting quickest to poke the ball under Steve Mildenhall from barely a yard.

It was 2-0 when Adam Hammill’s free-kick from 28-yards for a clumsy handball flew over the wall and into the top corner for his first goal for the club since his move from Barnsley.

Nenad Milijas had the bit between his teeth in midfield but fired wide when a half-chance presented itself.

Alongside him and just as impressive was Guedioura, who surged forward and flashed a powerful shot even closer.

Seven minutes before half-time the white flag was raised by the visitors when Guedioura burst past two half-hearted tackles on the edge of the box.