Wolverhampton V West Brom at Molineux Stadium : Match Preview

O'Hara hails Bassong signing Jamie O'Hara is convinced new Wolves signing Sebastien Bassong will shore up a defence guilty of shipping sloppy goals ahead of the derby clash with West Brom at Molineux. Midfielder O'Hara knows all about Bassong's qualities from their spell together with Tottenham. O'Hara moved to Molineux during the 2011 January transfer window and now Bassong has made the temporary switch from White Hart Lane until the end of the season and impressed in a debut win at QPR. O'Hara, who is optimistic of overcoming a groin injury in time to face the Baggies, said: "Seb really is a top-class international player. "When Tottenham qualified for the Champions League, he played every game that season. "I always said if we got Bassong in, he'd be a fantastic player for us, so I'm so glad that the chairman (Steve Morgan) and the manager (Mick McCarthy) managed to do that. "You could see his quality against QPR. He's good on the ball, he's got pace and he's definitely going to strengthen us. "He's a proper centre-half and he's a good ball player as well. He's an excellent defender and fair dos to the manager for getting someone of his ability." O'Hara believes Wolves need 14 more points to clinch a fourth successive season of top-flight football. He is also hoping to have the same impact as in the second half of last season after returning from a two-month absence following double hernia surgery. O'Hara said: "I think we need another four wins and hopefully we'll get a couple of draws as well. "We've got a fantastic squad and we shouldn't be where we are. We need to change it around but I still think we can make this season a good one. "As for me, I'm looking to have that same sort of impact again as I did last year and help us stay up. "Being out of the side for a couple of months means I feel fresh and really hungry to get back. "It's a huge game against West Brom. We both need the points." McCarthy will be without Emmanuel Frimpong, who has returned to Arsenal after rupturing knee ligaments, and the suspended Karl Henry while another midfielder in Dave Edwards is battling to overcome a thigh injury. West Brom boss Roy Hodgson has said he will not be influenced by Shane Long's barnstorming display in October's Black Country derby when deciding if the forward is fit enough to start. Long was a key player in the Baggies' 2-0 win over Wolves, creating a number of opportunities with his strength and pace. The former Reading striker has missed his team's last two matches due to chest pains, but has been training this week and should be available for selection. However, head coach Hodgson revealed he hasn't asked Long for 'more of the same' this weekend, as the performance didn't stick in his mind. "I don't base my decision on games that are going to be played in February on the basis of a game that was played in October," he said. "To be frank, I can't remember if he played well or badly in that game. But I'm glad to hear he played well. "I think he was having a good spell at that time so it doesn't surprise me. "It's more a question of whether we start him after the fact that he hasn't played in the last month or so." Hodgson added that Long's condition hasn't affected his mental state. "His frame of mind's very good," Hodgson said. "He's a very enthusiastic person who loves to play football, and I think he seems to be happy to be rid of his two back-to-back injuries that pushed him out." For the first time in a number of weeks, Hodgson has a large and healthy squad to pick from, with long term absentees Chris Brunt (ankle) and Zoltan Gera (cruciate ligament) the only men certain to miss the match. And the former Liverpool boss believes his selection luxuries mean the Baggies have no excuses if they lose at Molineux. He said: "We've gone from a situation where it wasn't always easy to fill the bench with senior players to suddenly having everyone except Gera and Brunt fit and ready for action. "One or two are a bit short of match practice perhaps, but they are all physically fit and ready to play. "So we can't blame it, if we don't do well, on the fact that we didn't have enough players, we'll have to blame it on the fact that we weren't good enough on the day."

Wolverhampton V West Brom - view commentary, squad, and statictics of the game live.

Source: PA

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