Mick McCarthy praised new boy Kevin Doyle and promised a golden partnership lies ahead with Andy Keogh after a hard-earned point against Hull.

But he warned the pair that come May they will be judged on goals ahead of performances.

Doyle was at times electric on his first start in the Premier League following his record £6.5?million summer move from Reading.

Keogh again played well although he missed a second-half sitter when clean through as Wolves were held.

“I know they are both good players. They both have great energy levels. They didn’t let anybody settle and I thought the two of them were terrific.

“They are going to get goals with the chances they create for one another and other people.

“They will all be judged on goals they score, nothing else will matter. Just like defenders will be judged on clean sheets.”

McCarthy once again found himself bemoaning missed chances after seeing his side dominate after the break following a shocking start.

Richard Stearman’s 46th-minute leveller gave Wanderers a share of the spoils after Geovanni’s third-minute headed gift in a dire first half.

The home side swarmed all over Phil Brown’s men after the break but Keogh missed a sitter and Doyle – on his first league start – saw a shot cleared off the line before substitute Sam Vokes missed a gilt-edged opportunity in stoppage time.

McCarthy said: “When we play as well as that then we need to win the game.

“I don’t think Hull caused us too many problems throughout the game.

“When the goal went in it put us right back on our heels for ten minutes. They (Hull) had a little flurry after that, but afterwards I cannot remember Wayne Hennessey making a save.

“If that is the case then our defence must have been doing okay.”

McCarthy was full of praise for goalscorer Stearman.

“He has been great. He played 150 games at Leicester, mostly at right-back. He had a great season at centre-back last season, and he has been asked to fill in at right-back because Kevin Foley is injured.

“He has taken it like a duck to water. He has been terrific and that equaliser will give him a lot more confidence.

“But I am not expecting him to get the goals – he has been a different class in the back four and that is where his slot is.”

McCarthy is reasonably happy with four points from the opening four games. “I said I would have been ecstatic with four points from three games. If you end up with just over a point a game, you survive in the league.

“We are a month in with four points. It doesn’t matter when you get the points – one might we might not get any then another we might get eight, you just have to amass the points and I am kinda pleased with the total so far.

“I am even more delighted with the way we have played and adapted to the Premiership.”

McCarthy had seen Wolves play just as well against West Ham United in the season’s opener but again fail to pick up the three points at home that will inevitably be crucial come May.

“We played well against West Ham then went down to ten men and they kept the ball and made it look like they had mugged us off a bit. That was far from it,” he said.

“We played well here and we had a great 45 minutes here.

“Maybe this was our best performance of the season because we got a point out of it and dominated the game – but I don’t know.”

Scorers: Geovanni (3) 0-1, Stearman (46) 1-1.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS: Hennessey, Stearman, Craddock, Mancienne, Elokobi, Halford, Henry, Milijas, Jarvis, Doyle, Keogh (Vokes, 89). Substitutes: Hahnemann, Edwards, Surman, David Jones, Berra, Zubar.

HULL CITY: Myhill, Zayatte, Turner, Mouyokolo, Dawson, Ghilas (Fagan, 73), Olofinjana, Kilbane, Hunt, Geovanni (Barmby, 82), Folan (Altidore, 63). Substitutes: Warner, Halmosi, Boateng, Cooper.

Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire).

Bookings: Hull – Mouyokolo, Dawson.

Attendance: 27,906