Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is hoping Tuesday's practice game against Aston Villa will have give his players the chance to improve their fitness.Wolves take on West Brom in the Championship Black Country derby on Sunday after the two-week international break and manager McCarthy used the friendly fixture to give players recovering from injury the chance to make the weekend's squad.

Defender Michael Gray survived 72 minutes unscathed as he bids to recover from a hamstring injury while Stephen Elliott was on target in the 3-2 defeat as he comes back from a similar problem.

Meanwhile, Manchester United loanee Darron Gibson (groin) came through the full 90 minutes, but attacking pair Michael Kightly and Andy Keogh need more time to recover.

"It was a chance for the lads who have been out for a few weeks with injuries to get some more football under their belts," McCarthy told the club's official website.

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