Keogh beams ahead of Clarets clash

The 22-year-old forward penned a two-year extension to 2012 this week, despite coming through some rough treatment from the fans recently.

He said: "I'm still getting better as a player and trying to learn more about the game. This is a great place to keep doing that. Hopefully I can keep improving and growing as a player with the gaffer's help.

"We're all of a similar age here and tied to similar long contracts and that was another reason why I was so keen to sign on again. I was delighted to sign the deal.

"Pledging my long-term future to Wolves was something I really wanted to do and I'm glad it was all sorted so smoothly. I'm really settled here and I am more than happy to have signed on until 2012."

Keogh hopes to regain his place in the side at Burnley tomorrow and believes Wolves are over their blip of one win in eight league games.

He said: "We've just got to carry on doing what we've been doing this season, getting in their faces and earning the right to get the ball down and play our football.

"No Championship team can be perfect all the time. We all have blips, but all of the boys are ready to come through this one. We're all ready for a really good push from now until the end of the season.

"It's a great pressure for us to have at the moment. We're all young lads and this is what we play football for. We're still top of the table and it's in our own hands.

"We deserve to be there for what we've done so far this season and it's up to us to keep going and get where we want to be."

Next opponents Burnley have already started the mind games, after boldly declaring Wolves are ready for the Premier League.

Both clubs go into the Turf Moor clash having taken just seven points from their last 24.

But Clarets centre-back Michael Duff reckons Mick McCarthy's Championship leaders have everything required to join the Premier League despite their current blip.

He said: "Wolves are a good team. Every team has a little bit of a blip during the season. They might have had theirs, you don't know.

"But you look at the players they've got, the manager they've got, the supporters they've got, they're all geared up for the Premier League.

"Wolves have proved they're a good team. We were disappointed with the performance we put in against them at their place but they're a good team.

"They've had a great season, but we're at home and it doesn't really matter who we play here, we want to take three points. It's important for us to maintain our unbeaten run and get back into the top six."

Burnley boss Owen Coyle has warned his side to be ready for their toughest test of the season – despite just being pipped to the Carling Cup final by Tottenham after beating Chelsea, Arsenal and Fulham along the way.

He said: "The game against Wolves, the league leaders, is as tough a test as you'll get, but one we'll be ready for. Given everything we've offered to the season already, we're three points off the play-offs with a game in hand, with two home games coming up.

"We have to capitalise on these home games now. Wolves is a massive game, and we have the foundation now to make a concerted push to put ourselves back in the mix."

The game will see Wolves' Kevin Foley take on his one-time Luton mentor Graham Alexander, veteran of over 750 League games.

Foley said: "He was at Luton when I was there and he's a really good player – that's where I knew about him. He's gone on and been a very consistent player for many seasons in professional football.

"I'd love to emulate that – my aim is to play as many games as I can. I hate missing games through injury or loss of form. He's one player who's always played a lot of games at a good level and played really well too.

"He can also play midfield as well and he's a good player."