Like the other Wolves players not on international duty, Neill Collins will be able to enjoy a spot of 'R and R' with a free weekend thanks to the lack of a Championship fixture.

 

But he has revealed it's a free weekend he and his team-mates would rather do without as they are "desperate" to get back out on the pitch after suffering successive defeats at the hands of Reading and Swansea.

 

Those reverses have not clouded Wolves' otherwise excellent start to the season, but Neill insists they have stiffened team resolve for the challenges ahead.

 

"With each defeat you always look at it and think about what went wrong," he says.

 

"All I would say is that it has made us more determined and resolute not to let it happen again.

 

"Often you learn more from a defeat than you do a victory.

 

"We've learned a lot from the last two games and hopefully we won't learn too much from the next few!

 

"It just shows what this league is like and how tough it is.

 

"When you have three games in a week you have got to follow the cliché of taking each game one at a time.

 

"Those two games were totally different games but the boys were really disappointed but are now desperate to get back.

 

"The international break is good in terms of getting players back and fit but by the same token footballers are desperate to go out and prove people wrong after a bad result."

 

And while taking nothing for granted regarding any long-term promotion aspirations, Neill admits it felt good to be top of the league even in such early stages of the season.

 

"Even if we could have taken a point at Swansea we'd have been top of the league," he adds.

 

"You want to be top of the league.

 

"Everyone says you don't look at the league table too much in terms of thinking you're going to get promoted and that's right.

 

"But if you told me we'd be top of the table all the way through the season I'd take that!

 

"The longer we'd have stayed top of the league the better we'd have done so obviously we are going to try and get back there.

 

"And if we win games we will."

 

A keen football fan himself, of both Kilmarnock and his national team, Neill will be looking on from the outside this afternoon as Scotland tackle Norway in a crucial World Cup qualifier at Hampden.

 

He will of course be hoping Wolves' team-mate Chris Iwelumo chalks up an enjoyable debut if selected, believing the 30-year-old's belated international call-up to be fully deserved.

 

Neill views his Molineux colleague's Scottish bow as an "inspiration" to others trying to break into the Tartan Army, but on a personal note is concentrating on nothing more than trying to maintain his own early season form and keeping his place in the heart of the Wolves defence.

 

"It's great to see Chris in the squad and it's long overdue," the defender declares.

 

"I always thought when he was banging the goals in at Colchester he deserved a shot.

 

"It's a great story and just shows if you just apply yourself like the big man has done than good things can happen.

 

"He's a role model for everyone else out there waiting for their chance, it was the same with Malky Mackay a few years ago when he got his first cap at something like 34.

 

"For me, the way things are at the moment I'm just concentrating on playing for Wolves.

 

"I'm still relatively young as a centre back and just have to be focused on doing well for Wolves and improving.

 

"International recognition is always nice but right now I have to concentrate solely on Wolves.

 

"That's my bread and butter and what I really want to focus on - I want to achieve good things at Wolves and think this is a great time for the club."