"I was delighted when I got the call from Mat to ask if I could come and assist him for the next few months while Gary's recuperating and I was delighted to get back on the grass," Connor said., external

"My hope is when Gary returns to work that Walsall are still top, if it can be by more points – great.

"I'm here to give some experience and a bit of help, have a quiet word here and there so hopefully I'll be a good influence over the players and pass on little bits of information that I've gained over the years."

Cooper was McCarthy's number two when Wolves won promotion to the Premier League in 2008.

When McCarthy was sacked in February 2012, Cooper stepped up to the manager's role until the end of that season but could not prevent the club getting relegated.