For any Wolverhampton Wanderers fans waking up on Sunday morning unaware of the previous day's result, reading the papers must have seemed like some sort of gigantic April Fool's joke.

Now comes the even less funny part for Mick McCarthy's men, getting rid of the hangover. And it does not make life an easier that Wolves' next stop on Saturday is Roy Keane's Sunderland.

The presence of McCarthy and Keane at the Stadium of Light again hangs over the fixture, McCarthy's first competitive return to Wearside since his sacking by Sunderland 13 months ago.

But, even allowing for the deep enmity that once existed between Keane and McCarthy, it takes another of their Championship rivals, Birmingham City manager Steve Bruce, to point out there is now a lot more at stake than mere personal rivalry.

But for Sunderland's unbeaten 13-game run of 33 points from a possible 39, Bruce's Blues and Derby County would be going into this Easter weekend looking to nail down the two automatic promotion places. But Keane's men have effectively kept the door open for everyone — including Wolves and West Bromwich Albion.

"Roy's been on a fantastic run," said his old Manchester United team-mate Bruce. "And I don't think any of us are surprised as he's always been a natural leader of men.

"He must be thinking it's easy. Six months into it and his team have gone from bottom to top.

"But you can't rule anyone out. We saw the run Wolves went on. And West Brom got back in it by winning at the weekend. Anybody's capable of beating anyone else.

"I've always said if we finish above West Brom we'll be there and thereabouts. But it's still very, very tight. There's not much between top and bottom."

After the shock of Saturday's hugely unexpected setback against a patched-up Southampton side who appeared to have slid out of contention, following on from two games in which his side were outplayed by two mid-table teams, Coventry City and Sheffield Wednesday, McCarthy must be now more wary than most of the managers still involved.

"All of us could look back at games where we could have got more points," said the Wolves boss.

"Sunderland and Crystal Palace were the ones that really rankled with me because we should have won them. But, because of the nature of it, the teams at the bottom also scrapping to stay in it, anything can happen. We've still got Hull City and QPR to play, and anyone who thinks they're going to be easy wants their head seeing to.

"Even playing the mid-table sides can be very difficult."

>> MORE WOLVES NEWS