Jelle van Damme: I'm fighting fit again

Wolves new-boy Jelle van Damme goes to Fulham tomorrow admitting he is fully prepared for the Premier League.

Mick McCarthy's side travel to Craven Cottage having bared their Premier League teeth - and van Damme believes that feisty game against Newcastle, 13 days ago, has left him battle-hardened like no other.

Van Damme is well qualified to talk about the tasty clash after seeing both sides of the coin in the no-holds-barred Molineux showdown. Not only was he one of 12 players booked for a challenge from behind on Jonas Gutierrez but he aggravated his ankle injury making the tackle.

"It was a tough game and a very quick match, but it can only help me adapt," said the Belgium international.

"In general, it's quicker and faster and more physical - the Newcastle game was the hardest I've had. But I'm getting more and more used to it every week.

"I have to work at adapting to it in every training session, but I think that game brought me on.

"It's just a matter of time and every week I will do better and better."

And that tackle of his?

"It was a bad tackle but I was just going for the ball and I got there too late," confessed the former Anderlecht man.

"It maybe looked worse than it was and I said sorry to Jonas because I was too late."

Wolves go to Craven Cottage a healthy seventh in the table after their highly encouraging unbeaten start to the season.

And despite back-to-back away games in London, with Tottenham to follow next weekend, van Damme believes McCarthy's side can continue to surprise the critics.

"To be unbeaten after three games is good, but now we have two tough away games," he said.

"We have to move on - every game is important, especially our home games. We want to do well away as well, like we did at Everton when we got a very good result, and we believe we can carry that on against Fulham."

For van Damme, it's all about being involved after missing the 1-1 draw at Everton following his injury against Stoke. But the 26-year-old revealed that he has returned to full fitness sooner than he thought.

"I feel fine, but before the Newcastle game, I'd been out for about two weeks with my ankle and the medical team have done well to get me back on the pitch so soon," he said. "OK, I didn't play 90 minutes, but I knew I wouldn't last the whole game after not playing. At first, they said it would take three to six weeks to be ready, so to be fit after two was a really positive thing for me."

Van Damme was delighted with his contribution against the Magpies, when he started at left midfield before popping up on the right, where he curled over a superb cross for Sylvan Ebanks-Blake to equalise.

"It felt as if I played everywhere - it doesn't matter to me as long as we play well and get the right result," he said.

"I was pleased with the cross - the gaffer made a good switch.It was a great first touch and a great finish from Sylvan as well.

"We might have won with some luck, but a draw was a good result because they had a few good chances."

Ebanks-Blake has perhaps been more impressive than anyone else so far, with his two goals in as many games.

And he has clearly caught the eye of van Damme, too.

"Sylvan is on fire - it's good for his confidence and good for the team as well," said the defender.

"He's just got to keep going, as we all have.

"As a striker, you need some luck as well but he has a lot of qualities like Doyle and Fletcher as well.

"I think we have three great strikers which can only be good for the team.

"We will need everyone this season so it's great that they're playing well."

Van Damme is one of several summer signings still getting fully up to speed.

Steven Fletcher only returned to full training this week while Steven Mouyokolo was back doing the full workout for the first time.