"Five minutes into the game I got snapped in half. It was a good tackle – the charm of English football."
At least David Moller Wolfe could be reasonably sure of a soft landing on the mudflats of Grimsby, but his comments in the Express and Star summarised the positive approach that carried Wolves through what could easily have been an awkward, embarrassing day.
"It's not that we'd come here and think we're something, moaning about the pitch," he continued. "It's about making the best out of it, and we did it, especially second half."
Yes, you can say that beating a fourth-tier side by a single goal is not all that much to get excited about in a season which has felt like a trudge through heavy mud since August.
But that would be, for once, selling this beleaguered Wolves side short.
Reporters and pundits huddling out of the sleet before the game muttered darkly about whether Wolves would really be up for this, especially those players perhaps already thinking they'll soon be moving on.
One veteran of lower-league battles on heavy pitches reckoned the body language would be the tell-tale sign.
Miming a wade through deep water, he said: "If they walked out like this, we knew we'd got 'em."
Wolves calmed those fears not with an impressive display of superior skills, although Mateus Mane still produced the odd cultured touch to remind everyone of his potential.
It is fair to note that Grimsby also found the going tough – the pitch was no attempt at sabotage – but Wolves showed the commitment and know-how to mostly hold them off, and create more and better chances of their own.
Santiago Bueno scored the goal and made the most important defensive touch just before the end.
Moreover, he demonstrated the attitude required not just for this game, but for the challenges that await after this season, if he is minded to stick around.
"He goes about his business, unassuming, a very quiet leader," said Rob Edwards. "I think he's been playing very well for us."
Edwards' attempts to raise the mood and keep smiling through a dark winter have not always been appreciated by some fans, who feel a more sombre message would better reflect the club's plight and their feelings.
But this was a performance to lift spirits, and prove that there is still a flickering light.
The fifth-round draw was less kind, but somebody has to win the FA Cup, and nearly every other team left in it has more pressing business to attend to between now and May.
Listen to full commentary of Wolves v Arsenal at 8pm on Wednesday on BBC Radio WM [95.6FM]
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