Nottingham Forest and Wolves will resume their pursuit of Championship points at Molineux on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) after midweek Carling Cup disappointments.

Forest pushed Sunderland all the way at The City Ground on Wednesday before eventually losing the second round tie 2-1 after extra-time.

Despite the outcome, Reds boss Colin Calderwood was able to draw positives from his side's display against the Premier League outfit.

Whether Wolves boss Mick McCarthy was able to draw any comfort from his side's defeat at the hands of League Two Rotherham is doubtful - although admittedly he did field a weakened side.

Wolves lost 3-1 on penalties after finding themselves unable to score in 120 minutes of action at The Don Valley Stadium.

There's no disguising the fact, however, that Wolves have made an impressive start to the season in the league.

They are currently second in the table after following up an opening day draw at Plymouth with back-to-back wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich.

But Forest will head to Molineux in a confident frame of mind after last Saturday's home win over Watford and their midweek heroics against Sunderland.

Team News

Colin Calderwood is confident Lee Martin will be fit to line-up at Molineux after the Manchester United loan man was forced to miss the Sunderland game because of a calf injury.

And there's optimistic news regarding Kelvin Wilson, who has missed the last two games after suffering a back spasm.

Wilson is improving every day and the hope is that he will get the all-clear to take his place in the squad for the trip to the Black Country. 

Forest will once again be without Joe Garner, Paul Anderson, Arron Davies and Lewis McGugan.

Wolves, meanwhile, are facing up to the reality that they could be without young defensive star George Elokobi for the remainder of the season.

The 22 year old suffered severe knee ligament damage against Ipswich last weekend, joining another key defender Jody Craddock on the sidelines.

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has been linked with a move for Sunderland's Danny Higginbotham and there's renewed speculation the club will look to tie-up a deal for him before the weekend.

He Played For Both

Fourteen months after sending Forest tumbling out of the FA Cup with the only goal of a third round tie at The City Ground in January 2001, Adam Proudlock became a Reds player - albeit briefly.


Proudlock, who was 19 when he settled the cup contest, had a spell on loan on Trentside as he looked to force his way back into the Wolves first team.

He had just served a four-match ban at Molineux when he joined Forest but after just three games in a red shirt - in which he failed to score - he was recalled by Wolves amid an injury crisis.

After spells with Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich and Stockport - along with a host of loan clubs - Proudlock is now on Darlington's books.

Head to Head

After 119 league and cup meetings between Forest and Wolves it's the team from the Black Country who have a clear advantage.

They have recorded 55 victories, compared to Forest's 40, with 24 games having finished deadlocked.

Wolves' most recent victory came in the last meeting between the two sides - at Molineux in November 2004.

On that occasion David Johnson scored his second goal in as many games but it wasn't enough to earn The Reds any reward from their trip to the West Midlands.

Johnson struck in the 25th minute but Wolves had the last laugh as they gained revenge for their defeat at The City Ground three weeks earlier.

Wolves, under the caretaker management of former Forest midfielder Stuart Gray following the dismissal of Dave Jones a few days earlier, got off to a flying start as Kevin Cooper converted a 19th minute penalty.

Matthieu Louis-Jean was adjudged to have pulled back Carl Cort and Cooper stepped up to covert the spot-kick.

But Forest were back on level terms in next to no time as Johnson acrobatically hooked the ball past Michael Oakes from close range after Wes Morgan had knocked down Andy Reid's corner.

Joy turned to disappointment, however, as Mikkel Bischoff grabbed what proved to be the winner before half-time, heading home from Colin Cameron's corner two minutes before the interval.

Forest: Gerrard, Louis-Jean (Perch 45), Dawson, Morgan, Rogers, Thompson (Jess 84), Nowland (Commons 72), Evans, Reid, Johnson, King.
Subs not used: Roche, Robertson.

Wolves: Oakes, Lowe, Lescott, Bischoff, Naylor, Cooper, Olofinjana, Cameron, Newton, Miller (Sturridge 83), Cort. Subs not used: Murray, Craddock, Andrews, Ince.

Where They Finished Last Season

Forest - 2nd in League One
Wolves - 7th in the Championship