Wolves v Stoke - Suspension rules out Henry
Posted Sunday, April 11, 2010 by PA
Wolves will be without skipper Karl Henry through suspension for the derby clash with Stoke at Molineux on Sunday.
The midfielder starts a three-match ban for his red card against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last weekend, when Wolves were beaten by an injury-time goal.
Adlene Guedioura, Nenad Milijas and David Edwards will all by vying for a starting place although Mick McCarthy could push Kevin Foley into a central role.
David Jones is confident Wolves will guarantee Barclays Premier League survival if they repeat their form of the last five games during the season run-in.
McCarthy's side went into the weekend clear of the bottom three after collecting eight points from a possible 12 before losing to a stoppage-time goal against Arsenal.
Midfielder Jones has played a key part in their revival which included wins away to fellow strugglers Burnley and West Ham and creditable draws with Aston Villa and Everton.
And the former Manchester United player is adamant Wolves will remain in the top flight should they sustain their current level of performance.
Jones said: "In recent games we have played very well, got some good results and the confidence is very high.
"The wins at Burnley and West Ham showed how far we have come and the belief has grown throughout the season.
"Those results had been coming because we had put in some good performances before that.
"We had done well against Manchester United and Chelsea, even though they beat us in the end, and last weekend against Arsenal we were unlucky to lose.
"We've had a good run and now we want to get back to winning ways on Sunday."
Jones suffered the agony of being relegated from the Premier League with Derby and knows Wolves must continue their current run, rather than relying on those below them to continue to slip up.
"We have come a long way but we know the job is not done yet," added the 25-year-old.
"It is hard not to think about how many more points you think you need but it's the same old story in that you have to concentrate on each game.
"We think we've got a good chance on Sunday to get some points on the board. We've put ourselves in a very good position. It is in our hands.
"We know we've got a cushion that could still be made up by other teams but this is a position we want to be in at this juncture of the season.
"If we continue along the same lines as we have done for the previous games, then I'm sure we will get the points we need to stay up."
Striker Ricardo Fuller is Stoke's only fitness concern.
The Jamaica striker has scored in the Potters' last two games but was forced off with an ankle injury at half-time at Hull last week.
Tuncay or Mamady Sidibe, both substitutes last week, could come in alongside Dave Kitson if he fails a fitness test with youngster Louis Moult moving up to the bench.
James Beattie, out for seven weeks with a knee injury, is unlikely to come into contention despite an outing for the reserves on Tuesday.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis has challenged rivals to stop Rory Delap if they can.
The Irishman's long throw-ins have been the Potters' most infamous and effective weapon in their two seasons in the Premier League.
Few teams have found a successful way of coping with the tactic and two weeks ago West Ham resorted to installing extra advertising hoardings close to the touchline.
It proved to no avail as Stoke left Upton Park with a victory and Pulis says he is not concerned if Wolves - or any other any club at any point - try the same trick.
Pulis said: "Burnley were the first to do it and then West Ham did it.
"It makes no difference, Rory can throw it from a standing position. He doesn't need a run-up, he showed that at Burnley and West Ham.
"I am not going to tell clubs what to do on their own grounds. I don't expect anybody to tell us what to do at our place.
"If they want to do it, they are entitled to."
Stoke are no longer worrying about relegation as they make the short journey to Molineux after last week's win at Hull took them to 42 points.
For them, the next challenge is matching their tally of 45 points from last season.
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