Wolves Head Coach Kenny Jackett is delighted to welcome back Polish International Michal Zyro to his squad, after the forward’s recovery from a calf injury.
Zyro made a superb start to his Wolves career, scoring three goals in three games before being side-lined last month, and Jackett feels that he can pick up from where he left off in tonight’s match with Bristol City at Molineux (7.45pm).
He said: “It’s a positive [to have him back], and I’ve been very impressed with him in a short Wolves career so far.
“He looks strong enough to handle English football and is a vital commodity for the team at the moment.
“Even if he’s on the bench this week he’ll be an addition for us I’m sure, I’m pleased that he’s back, and looking forward to seeing how he progresses and how he builds on his early start as a Wolves player.”
The news of Zyro’s return provided some relief after defender Ethan Ebanks-Landell was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a fractured metatarsal.
Kortney Hause is set to come in to replace Ebanks-Landell.
Mike Williamson will also miss the match due to an issue with his glute, while James Henry is still out with a hamstring injury.
On Williamson’s injury Jackett said: “We’ve come across problems in his glute and he can’t quite shake that off.
“The original hamstring injury is o-k and he’s had no more trouble with that and that was the one he did early on, on his recall back to Newcastle.
“Now it’s a separate problem and area, and that’s causing him discomfort and not being able to step forward in terms of progression and training which is ultimately frustrating for Mike himself and for everybody.
“We can only take it week by week and he won’t play this week and we hope that settles quickly and he responds to treatment, injections that he’s having and then can get outside and be pain free very quickly.
“Only then we can be able to assess which game he can be put in for.”
In the face of such adversity, Jackett is looking for a positive response from his players following last Friday’s 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough.
Tonight’s match with Lee Johnson’s side provides a good opportunity to build on the 2-1 success against Derby County, in Wolves’ last match at Molineux.
Jackett said: “We don’t want this season to peter out and fall away.
“I’m determined to make sure that it doesn’t and I’m doing everything possible to try to finish strongly with good performances and good results.
“We have two home games and we want to build on the last time we were at home which was a very good game and performance against Derby County.
“While our players tried everything they could at Middlesbrough we didn’t do enough to trouble a very good side.
“And they handled us and had the edge all night, and deserved their win in the end.
“We expect to do well, and we expect and set out to try to win, whether that be against Middlesbrough, Bristol City or Derby County or Birmingham and that’s always the case.
“I don’t put too much emphasis on playing top sides because you can produce very good performances and similarly for the bottom of the league for different stages of the season, the Championship throws up very hard fixtures.
“We want to put on good performances, achieve good results and build optimism amongst the players, and most importantly optimism with the supporters over the last 11 games.”
Jackett was also typically honest about his own performance following questions about the club’s largely frustrating season.
He said: “There are some situations you couldn’t envisage and some of the situations that I could have read better.
“There are some situations you can’t cater for, but I am honest with myself with the situations I could have read earlier and maybe changed and also do realise that there some situations that you can’t have an affect over.
“Our forward line has been quite tough even with the emergence of Graham and where you’re thinking let’s start to build it around that player and he was injured.
“Similarly, with Zyro but the good thing is those players will come back and the club will go from strength to strength and that’s the important thing.”
Since taking over at Ashton Gate, new City boss Johnson, has led his side to three wins in five matches, a run of form that has seen the Robins move five points clear of the relegation zone and Jackett was full of praise for his opposite number.
He said: “He’s broken into management after a good playing career.
“I feel that Bristol City are a good club, they wanted to build on promotion and winning the title last year, and they’ll be desperate to try to stay up and stay in the league because they worked so hard to get into it.
“And with the management change they’ll be looking for ways of trying to develop and back up what is a very good club. You see their ground development and you see a lot of ambition in the club.”
Meanwhile Jackett confirmed that the club have received a loan bid from Huddersfield Town for Rajiv van La Parra.
The winger has not featured in the last two matches and Jackett clarified that no decision has been made yet as to whether the bid will be accepted nor on the Dutchman’s long term future.
Jackett said: “We have had an approach from Huddersfield, but nothing’s been set up or decided yet.
“We’ll see what happens this week, he’s not a player that I’ve used in the last couple of games but we’ll make a decision this week as to what the future is for Rajiv.”
*Wolves sponsors and local firm Techworx are offering one lucky supporter the opportunity to WIN a signed shirt or ball and to meet two members of the first team squad on the afternoon of Tuesday 15th March 2016.
