Birmingham pair face long stints out

Birmingham will again be without striker Garry O’Connor and on-loan Sunderland midfielder Teemu Tainio for the local derby with Wolves at Molineux.

O’Connor has undergone surgery on a hip problem and will be out of action for several months while Tainio will require a knee operation which will also sideline him for a lengthy period.

Club captain Damien Johnson is available after a hamstring injury but is likely to be on the substitutes’ bench after the loaning out of Jordon Mutch to Hereford.

Provisional squad: Hart, Carr, R Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell, Queudrue, Larsson, Bowyer, Ferguson, McFadden, Jerome, Benitez, Maik Taylor, Phillips, Fahey, McSheffrey, Carsley, Vignal, D Johnson.