Carl Ikeme kicks out on Wolves comeback

Making full-blooded clearances is the one hurdle the first-choice keeper still has to tick off on his road to recover from his broken foot.

Ikeme wasn't earmarked to play in last night's Under-21s clash away to Derby County, which was postponed, to concentrate on his footwork back at Compton.

And if Ikeme can achieve his goal in training, boss Kenny Jackett will consider he long-serving 28-year-old for a recall at Nottingham Forest on Good Friday afternoon, along with Tomasz Kuszczak, who has played the last 11 games.

Jackett expects Ikeme to come through his final test and compete with the experienced former Poland international for his place.

"Carl still has to get over this last hurdle and I think he will," said the Molineux head coach. "He needs to do some full-out striking, which he will and I think he'll be fine.

"We have to get over that and make sure he's there. I hope by the start of the Easter period he's there with that and he's available and he should be - there's no reason why that shouldn't be the case."

Jackett is reluctant to do anything which would be seen as showing his hand in terms of his selection at the City Ground and onwards.

But he admits 32-year-old Kuszczak, who has kept five clean sheets and conceded 10 goals in his 11 appearances, is firmly in his thoughts in his assessment as to who plays.

He said: "We're hopeful that by the end of the week we have both of our senior keepers ready to go to Nottingham.

"No disrespect to Aaron McCarey or Jonathan Flatt, but we'll be stronger for having both of them.

"I think Kuszczak has done very little wrong, the points total since he's been in the side has been good and also his own personal consistency.

"It does befit someone who in the last two years has been in sides who have made the top six in the division, which is a good achievement."

In the meantime, Ikeme is 'doing the hard yards' at Compton to achieve the final segment of his fitness test.

Jackett added: "Carl has done a lot of handling over the last two weeks. With it being a foot injury, kicking is the thing we have left right to the end in terms of his rehab.

"He's been out on the training ground for a few weeks and played in the small-sided games without striking balls.

"So this week he's building up on his kicking. He's struck plenty of balls and he feels OK.

"But sometimes with planting that left foot and going right through the ball with his right foot, he's got to make sure he's confident doing that.

"In terms of his general goalkeeping such as handling and taking crosses, he's had a few weeks outside to get used to it again and he looks comfortable as well.

"He's just got to make sure he's 100 per cent right in striking a ball this week."