No Castillo for Wolves

Posted Saturday, October 03, 2009 by PA

Wolves will be without injured midfielder Segundo Castillo for tomorrow's home Barclays Premier League clash with bottom-placed Portsmouth.

The Ecuador international sustained a hamstring injury during the 5-2 defeat by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and was substituted at half-time.

Castillo's replacement, Michael Kightly, could make his first ever Premier League start against Paul Hart's side.

But midfielder David Jones is ruled out for two months after undergoing knee surgery after already missing the clashes with Manchester United in the Carling Cup and the Black Cats.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy believes record signing Kevin Doyle is already living up to his price tag.

Doyle made the #6.5million move from Reading during the close season only for a hernia operation to force him to miss the start of the campaign.

But he is now fit and firing on all cylinders and will be looking to hit the target against Pompey for the third successive league match.

Doyle scored the opening goal in the 2-1 win over Fulham at Molineux and also netted in the 5-2 reversal at Sunderland last weekend.

McCarthy said: "Kevin is one of the first names on the team sheet - and quite justifiably so because I think he has been terrific for us.

"He has certainly added that bit of quality. He was our big summer signing and then he gets a hernia which was frustrating for him.

"Having him available has made a big difference to us and I have absolutely no worries about the fee we paid.

"It was money well spent and he will only get better. Whatever value he was, will increase with his performances."

Portsmouth have lost their opening seven league games, the worst top flight start by a team in 79 years, but McCarthy is guarding against any complacency, particularly among the Wolves fans.

And he quickly played down the plaudits his team received for their general performance at Sunderland despite the final scoreline.

He said: "I think it is the most dangerous game of the season. We should all be coming here on Saturday with the attitude that it is going to be a tough game.

"We should have the attitude, `the Pompey fans are great but we are going to out-shout them.'

"We will have to play at very best level to beat Portsmouth. Anything less than that, and there is a danger it could be the wrong result.

"They were very unlucky against Everton. There were two teams last week who came away thinking 'how did we lose?' We were one and the other was Portsmouth.

"But, when you take away the trimmings, take the cards and mistletoe down, see the turkey off, we actually got beat 5-2. That is the cold reality of it.

"We got zero, zilch for our performance. We gave goals away and missed opportunities ourselves.

"I was pleased with how we played but we lost. For all the plaudits we got for good spirit, good energy, good football, we still got beat. I'd sooner people say, 'You were hopeless today and you won 1-0."'

Defender Steve Finnan came through a reserve match against West Ham in midweek and could make his debut for Portsmouth.

Finnan has been struggling with a hamstring injury since his summer switch from Espanyol and is yet to make a first team appearance.

Papa Bouba Diop has stepped up his training but is still suffering with a hamstring injury, along with Herman Hreidarsson.

Meanwhile, Sulaiman Al Fahim is confident being treated for an acute kidney infection will not impact on refinancing Portsmouth, with chief executive Peter Storrie insisting there is less than a month to save the club from financial turmoil.

Pompey owner Al Fahim was admitted to hospital in Dubai and scheduled for an operation to remove kidney stones, although he hopes to attend the Barclays Premier League match against Tottenham at Fratton Park on October 17.

According to Storrie, approximately one third of the #50million Al Fahim has pledged needs to be in place around the time of that match.

"I have to be truthful and tell you that I don't know if the 30% of the #50million refinancing package will arrive with us in mid-October," Storrie told ESPN Soccernet.

"So the bottom line is the middle to end of October. I really don't know what will happen if that money doesn't come through. All I can tell you, is what I have seen.

"The documentation is in place, but the proof of whether it is all genuine will be if it turns up. Sulaiman says that it will, so I have to believe that it will. He believes it, so let's wait and see."