Wolves head for Birmingham with manager Mick McCarthy backing his men to deliver in their darkest hour.

A bleak four-game sequence which has reaped just one point and inflicted severe damage on a goal difference which could yet be crucial has drained optimism around Molineux that McCarthy’s second-bottom team can beat the drop.

And Wolves go into the final four games with their resources stretched more than at any time this season — especially up front.

Strikers Kevin Doyle and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake are still ruled out and McCarthy’s other senior striker Steve Fletcher will only be available if he gets through training today.

It is the bleakest backs-to-the-wall moment of the McCarthy era — and that’s why the boss is optimistic Blues will face a galvanised Wolves in tomorrow’s derby.

“We will get a response at Birmingham, I’m sure of it,” said a manager struggling to explain the sudden down-turn in events since the high point of victory at Villa four games ago.

“This group of players really take it to heart when they don’t play as well as they know they can. It hurts them. We’ve been stretched before but have a look at the team that beat Chelsea or won at Liverpool — there were players missing then too.

“They are angry with themselves and I get a positive out of the fact that we have hit rock bottom and we’ve always had a good response to that.

“That’s because of the nature of these players. I will never have cause to doubt their desire to put things right and they will be back ‘on it’ on Sunday. I have no doubts about that.”

But it will be a testing assignment with McCarthy’s options also affected by Michael Kightly, who started his first game in 18 months this week, feeling the after-effects of a groin strain.

Blues have lost Obafemi Martins but Nikola Zigic could return after a groin problem while keeper Ben Foster has won his fitness battle.

A Wolves win would move them to within two points of sixth-from-bottom Blues.

But their skipper Stephen Carr is promising his side, too, will be fully wound-up.

“We know they’ll be fighting, we’re all in that little relegation battle,” he said. “It will be tough, derbies always are — but we’re confident.”