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Your support makes all the difference.Suggestions that Wolves might be slow to recover after choking on the First Division run-in last season can be discounted on the evidence available so far. With added quality in the shape of Paul Ince and Denis Irwin, who were both highly influential yesterday, they saw off one of last season's challengers with no obvious lack of confidence, although Burnley's cause had been undermined by a seventh-minute red card for midfielder Paul Cook.
Ince, making a delayed debut after his move from Middlesbrough, quickly established himself as Wolves' midfield fulcrum, while Irwin made his mark with a free-kick out of David Beckham's training ground manual.
Nathan Blake and Kevin Cooper scored the other goals.
Ince's frustration at being left on the bench despite insisting he was fit did not have long to fester. An injury to Colin Cameron in a challenge with Paul Weller after only six minutes – which may have caused ligament damage to the Scottish international – ushered him on to the field and it was clear from the former England midfielder's first involvement he was desperate to impose his authority in the old gold shirt.
By then, the home side were already a goal up, Blake finishing from close range after just two minutes after Kenny Miller had beaten two defenders on the left flank and Cameron had seen a shot spilled by Nik Michopoulos.
If conceding such an early goal were not bad enough, the opening exchanges went from unpromising to calamitous for the Lancashire side, who were then reduced to 10 men. Cook flew in two-footed on midfielder Alex Rae and was shown the red card almost instantly by referee Jeff Winter.
Thereafter, with Ince imposing a growing influence in his first competitive outing since May, the match was played almost exclusively in Burnley's half, though Wolves missed the opportunity to double their lead from the penalty spot before half-time.
Miller, who has not scored for almost a year after breaking a collarbone in the second month of last season, insisted on taking the kick himself, despite Irwin's presence, with regular penalty-taker Sturridge on the bench. However, he shot too close to Michopoulos, who easily punched away.
It was not a costly miss. Four minutes into the second half, Irwin, Jones' free transfer capture from Manchester United, curled home his first goal for his new club.
Ince, skipping through the middle of the Burnley defence looking for a goal chance of his own, was tripped in the "D" by Steve Davis, gaining Wolves a free-kick in just the kind of position in which Irwin would not have had a look-in at Old Trafford.
But it should go on record that Beckham could not have bent it better, Irwin's flighted right-foot shot clearing the Burnley wall, swerving away from Michopoulos and going in off the underside of the bar, out of reach of the defender on the line.
Substitute Cooper wrapped up a comfortable victory two minutes from time with a fine piece of skill. Collecting a pass from fellow substitute Sturridge, Cooper evaded the challenges of two defenders before stabbing the ball home.
Wolves 3 Burnley 0
Blake 2, Irwin 49, Cooper 88
Half-time: 1-0 Attendance: 25,031
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