DANNY Shittu and Ricardo Gardner are making a late bid to prove their fitness in time to face Aston Villa.

Gary Megson will make his final decision today on whether to include the pair in his squad, as Wanderers attempt to earn the three points that would all-but guarantee their Premier League safety.

Gardner limped out of last weekend’s defeat at Portsmouth with a hamstring injury, although scans showed the injury was not as serious as first thought.

Shittu has been missing since the 4-3 reverse at Chelsea with a calf strain, and Megson will give both ample opportunity to show they are fit for selection.

“Danny and Bibi will train with us and we’ll see how they do,” the manager said. “We’ll have a head count after that.

“Whether they have got a strong chance or not, I’m not sure, but we will give them every opportunity.”

Gardner’s season appeared to be over after he limped out of the action early on at Fratton Park, and should he fail to recover in time, his place in the centre of midfield is likely to be taken up by Fabrice Muamba, who dropped to substitute at Portsmouth where Chris Basham was promoted to the starting line-up.

Megson hopes to include the Jamaican in his plans but has grown accustomed to shuffling round his small squad this season.

“Bibi’s injury has reacted well but we don’t make a great big fuss over those type of things,” he said. “If they are fit, they are fit – if they are not, they are not. There is no in-between.”

Joey O’Brien is back in training but not ready for first team selection and January signing Mark Davies, who has been out for five weeks with a knee injury, could be back in contention next week.