McCarthy hoping for defensive boost

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is hoping defenders Jody Craddock and Ronald Zubar will be fit within the next fortnight. Craddock has been sidelined for two weeks since limping off with a thigh injury against West Ham, while Zubar has been out for more than two months and recently underwent an operation to remove an ankle spur. McCarthy told his club's official website: "Ronald is out there kicking balls at the moment and he's progressing well. He's doing his rehabilitation, but as far for planting his foot down and kicking, he's fine, so tackling is the next thing for him. I can't give a time on it but he'll be back sooner rather than later." He added: "I said he'd be four weeks from the operation and it's been two weeks already since then, so he might be back playing in two weeks. "I would hope he'd be back in full training next week, and then there's reserve games to look forward to. He had a great time last season - once he got into the team, he was almost ever-present so it will be good to have him back." On Craddock, McCarthy said: "I can't give a time when he'll be fully fit but I spoke to him on Monday morning and he seems happy enough with the way he's coming along. "He's been running and he's doing rehab work in the gym to keep his fitness up. "I said at the time that I thought we'd be looking at the Bolton game (on November 13) and I still think that might be the case. "He'll need a reserve game before we can get him back to contention for the first team. "Not that he'll need long because he's played all the games beforehand but he'll need a match before he comes back."

Source: PA