Boss backs Kightly to fire back

Flying Wolves winger Michael Kightly has been backed to return to his best by boss Mick McCarthy.

Kightly hasn't played since Boxing Day, having been suspended for the 2-2 draw at Blackpool before the FA Cup tie at Birmingham was postponed.

The 22-year-old wouldn't have played at St Andrews anyway, as McCarthy revealed he was going to play Matt Jarvis and Stephen Ward as the wide men.

Kightly hasn't been at his best recently, but McCarthy is convinced the England under-21 international will return in better form.

The manager said: "Maybe the break has done him good – 'Kites' has played a lot of football. He's missed games but he'll come back refreshed. But I can't judge that until I see him on Saturday afternoon.

"Kites is one of a number of them who love the game – he was as missed as anyone, but they're all like that. They all want be involved – they all love Saturday afternoons and they love playing football."

McCarthy also hinted he may be looking for Kightly and Matt Jarvis to swop wings, after Jarvis performed so well at Blackpool on the right.

The boss said: "Everyone told me Kites was a right winger, but he was brilliant on the left against Birmingham for the last half an hour."

Apart from Neill Collins' strikes against Doncaster and Sheffield United, Jarvis has scored Wolves' only goal from open play in the last three games.

Kightly has gone nine games without a goal, and, while Dave Edwards and Dave Jones have three each, Karl Henry has yet to score this season.

McCarthy is looking for more goals from all areas.

He said: "Kites, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Chris Iwelumo have all scored goals, Neill has scored recently and Jarvo nicked one recently, but we need to score goals from elsewhere."