COLIN Lee's hopes of realising Wolves' massive potential have been dogged all season by injuries - and it's getting worse.

The last thing the Molineux boss needed at the start of a crunch season was a crop of injuries robbing him of some of his top talent.

Already having to come to terms with the sale of top scorer Ade Akinbiyi to Leicester and knowing the pressure was on to rid Wolves of their reputation as the great under-achievers, the Molineux manager desperately wanted the gods on his side.

But it's been injuries, injuries all the way.

For the Worthington Cup tie at Grimsby last week, Lee was without 10 senior players, for one reason or another, including last season's player of the year Ludovic Pollett, experienced duo Simon Osborn and Steve Sedgley, captain Kevin Muscat and recently-arrived strikers Temuri Ketsbaia and Robert Taylor. Newest signing Tony Dinning had been cup-tied at Stockport.

To add to Lee's woes right back Ryan Green, the highly-rated 19-year-old, was injured playing for Wales Under 21s in the 2-1 defeat in Poland in midweek and admits: "I don't know how long I will be out but I must be doubtful for the Bolton game."

Green's absence would be the latest in a catalogue of problems to have plagued Lee's hopes of getting Wolves into their stride in the early weeks of the season. While waiting and hoping for Ketsbaia to return fit and well from Georgia's World Cup qualifier in Italy, he admits he has major doubts over Pollet and Muscat.

The Frenchman, missing with a hernia problem since the first game of the season, had hoped to get a full game in the reserves on Monday night but was sent off after just 21 minutes and is only considered to have an outside chance of making the Reebok showdown! Meanwhile Muscat, who was forced to pull out of Australia's squad with a knee injury, is said by Lee to be "definitely a case of touch and go".

Despite the pressures, Lee has managed to bring through a good crop of youngsters, scraping together a decent little run.