Recently by Rob Tanner

NORTHAMPTON Town manager Stuart Gray is targeting Wolves defender Mark Little as a replacement for Gabor Gyepes, who has left the club to join Cardiff.

The 20-year-old made 17 league appearances during a loan spell with Town last season, and is yet to feature in Wolves' first team this season, so McCarthy may agree to a loan proposal from the Cobblers.

"Mark came in here and did very well," Gray said. "I see that Mark hasn't featured in the Wolves side so I know he will probably be getting a bit frustrated.

"The most important thing is if we bring a player in they've got to be better than the ones we've got."

KARL Henry is set to be handed the captain's armband and will lead Wolverhampton Wanderers in the absence of injured defender Jody Craddock tomorrow at Ipswich Town.

Wolverhampton-born Henry was given the job of captaining his home town club last season when former skipper Gary Breen was missing through injury and now his replacement Craddock will be absent for three months after breaking his foot against Sheffield Wednesday last weekend Henry will take on the responsibility once more.

"There's no reason why Karl won't be captain," said manager Mick McCarthy.

WOLVERHAMPTON Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy admits he has been given food for thought before today's first home game of the league season.

For the Carling Cup clash with Accrington Stanley on Tuesday, he fielded a side featuring numerous changes from the XI that opened the season with a draw at Plymouth Argyle last weekend; the likes of strikers Chris Iwelumo, who scored twice on Tuesday, and Sam Vokes, winger Mark Davies, midfielder David Edwards and central defender Neill Collins have certainly staked a claim for a starting place against Brian Laws' side.

McCarthy has a fit squad after Matt Jarvis shook off the knock that kept him out of the 3-2 win over Stanley and the Wolves boss is enjoying having selection headaches.

WOLVES chief executive Jez Moxey has rubbished reports in Scotland that Wolves were set to break their wage structure in a bid to sign Celtic defender Bobo Balde.

Rumours north of the border claimed Balde had turned down a £27,500-a-week contract at Parkhead to move to Molineux, but Moxey insisted Wolves would not be paying inflated wages to any player, particularly one for whom who Birmingham City refused to pay over the odds in pre-season.

"It's a complete non-starter," Moxey said. "We have had no contact with Celtic on this issue whatsoever. It's completely out of our wage structure.

"What we want to try to communicate to people is that we just do not do this sort of wage. We don't pay that sort of money to anyone."

THE battle for a starting place in Mick McCarthy's Wolverhampton Wanderers midfield is certainly hotting up but while David Edwards may be up for the challenge of ousting current incumbents Karl Henry and David Jones, he is honest enough to admit it isn't a situation he is enjoying.

Because of a succession of injuries, the Wales international midfielder has made just ten appearances for Wolves since joining from Luton Town for £675,000 last January and he wasn't even involved in the squad for the Championship curtain-raiser at Plymouth last weekend.

The 22-year-old was given a much-needed run out on Tuesday during the Carling Cup first-round win over Accrington Stanley and now hopes to push his way into the Championship squad.