Wolves captain Karl Henry is promising West Ham a very different proposition from the last time they met.

Back in August when the Hammers kicked off the season with a 2-0 win at Molineux, you would have got long odds on the Molineux men being above Gianfranco Zola’s side with eight games left.

But that’s the scenario as the two teams face each other at Upton Park tonight in what Zola has admitted is a “six-pointer.”

Back in that sunny curtain-raiser, Wolves’ Premier League naiviety saw them beaten by Mark Noble’s fine chip and Matthew Upson’s header.

West Ham had finished the previous season in ninth and had high hopes of at least emulating that feat, but their progress has been checked amid spiralling debts which forced the sale of the club to former Birmingham City owners David Gold and David Sullivan in mid-winter.

Henry didn’t expect the teams to be so close in the table – but reckons there are good reasons.

He said: “I must admit after that first game, I didn’t expect that. As the first game of the season, maybe the occasion had some effect on the outcome. But I look at us now and without doubt we have grown as a side since then.

“After that game, we were talking about how well we’d played and that we were unlucky.

“But if we played them at home now I think it would be a different outcome – and definitely a different performance because we’ve got so much belief from knowing we can play in this league.

“With four points from our last two games, I think we can go there and get a result.”

Wolves enter the East End in confident mood after winning at Burnley before drawing at Villa, and Henry admits they could hardly have wished for a better return.

He said: “I think everyone would agree four points from the last two games is a good total and on reflection a point was a fair result at Villa.

“We’ll do whatever we can to stop the ball going in the back of our net. There was a lot of pressure on us going into the Burnley game, because we needed to win that one.

“Looking at the league table is a lot nicer now, especially seeing that gap.

“But we want to increase that gap and tonight is a big opportunity for us to do that and, with West Ham below us as well, it’s another massive game.”

West Ham are expected to recall big guns Scott Parker, Carlton Cole and possibly Mark Noble tonight, after the key trio sat out of Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Arsenal.

Julien Faubert is also expected to return at right-back, as the Hammers return to full strength for a game that was controversially postponed in January when Zola was without several players and the forecast snow never came.

But Henry admitted the Hammers are expected to win tonight, so believes there is no pressure on Wolves, despite their stubborn away form that has seen them outscore 10 teams in the Premier League on their travels, including Liverpool.

He said: “The pressure’s on them as the home team. They got their only away win against us and they’ll be expecting to win. But we will be going to another away ground expecting to pick up some points, because our away record isn’t bad so there’s no pressure on us whatsoever.

“We put pressure on ourselves, because it’s a game we expect to get some points from. They’ve got to come out with all guns blazing and maybe we can soak up some of that pressure and catch them on the break.

“We know we’ve got goals in us because some of our players are on fire at the moment, such as Matt Jarvis, David Jones, Kevin Foley and Kevin Doyle.

“The lads who have been attacking for us have been a real threat. So I’ve got no doubts we can hit teams on the break and score goals.”

With manager Mick McCarthy expected to name an unchanged line-up for a seventh successive game, Henry will line up alongside David Jones, who has been promised a new contract by the manager.

Henry appreciates Jones more than anyone and believes his team-mate deserves to be rewarded.

The skipper said: “Definitely. I think in all my time here, David is the player I’ve most enjoyed playing with. We played together in the middle for the majority of last season and we had a good understanding and there was a good balance.

“He’s a fantastic player and a top lad as well, so I’m really pleased for him. We get on well on and off the pitch and I’m sure that helps. I’ve got a lot of admiration for his play and the things he does.

“I think we probably bring out different qualities in each other as well. He reads the game well and he’s very creative.

“Since we’ve changed to the 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation, he’s caused a lot of damage in the hole behind Kevin Doyle.”