MICK McCarthy insisted Wolverhampton did not deserve to leave the Reebok empty-handed.

The Wolves manager saw his struggling side twice rattle the woodwork as they looked to cancel out Zat Knight’s first-half winner.

McCarthy was also convinced the visitors should have had a penalty when Matt Jarvis tangled with Bolton's Gretar Steinsson in the area.

“That was a penalty. There’s no doubt about that,” said Molineux boss. “You don’t want players to go sprawling and trying to win them but that was a penalty.

“They had the handball, whether it was deliberate I don’t know, but it hit his hand and it’s up to the referee to decide.

“But ours was. He’s caught his heels going into the box but we didn’t get it.

“I thought we deserved a point, but playing well doesn’t always get you the points, unfortunately.

“We both had half chances, corners, attempts at goal and balls into the box, but they got the goal which changed it.

“I was pleased with the performance but it hasn’t got us anything.”

McCarthy, who does little to dispel the notion that he is the dourest man in football when talking about Wolves’ battle to beat the drop, also lamented his side’s defending for the game’s only goal.

“We made mistakes and it has cost us the game,” added the Yorkshireman matter-of-factly. “The goal we conceded was not bad luck, it was bad defending. We switched off just before half time. First from a throw, then a corner, then another corner and then it’s in the back of the net.

“We’ve played well enough and had chances to score, but we haven’t and there lies the problem.

“But nothing changes. We still need a certain amount of points. We haven’t got any today but we’ve got 11 games left to get them.

“We’ll keep trying and plugging away. We’re in there fighting and that gives us a chance.”